Royal Harem
by Teagarden
Summary: Queen Miwa and Ambassador Rintaro have worked together for years and when civil war threatens Rintaro's country, Miwa advises him to send Ema to her kingdom, promising to keep her safe. What Rintaro doesn't know is that Queen Miwa is eyeing Ema as a wife for one of her 13 sons and the threat of war provides the perfect opportunity to keep Ema in Koukidan. AU
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Some of the brothers may be a bit OOC since growing up as a prince is very different than growing up as the son of a successful business woman, but for the most part I'll try to keep everyone true to character.

 **Prologue**

"Surely it's time for at least _one_ of your sons to start thinking about taking a wife," Duke Rukan said to Queen Miwa during a meeting. Miwa held these headache-inducing meetings with all the high-ranking nobles who wanted to attend a couple times a month. She found that the best way to keep the selfish, power-grabbing, mongrels content was to at least pretend to listen to their complaints and act like she was thinking about doing something about it. And every once in a while one of them actually brought up a valid point that did need attention.

"The Duke is quite right," Lord Satsu agreed, nodding his head. "Thirteen princes, and not one of them married. None of them are even courting someone they could marry! Prince Masaomi is thirty-one years old and will ascend to the throne soon enough. Surely the people will feel better about his ascension if he's already married and the people are assured of a queen. Especially if an heir has already been conceived by that point."

Miwa idly rested her chin on her hand, her face giving nothing about her opinion on the matter away and Lord Satsu and Duke Rukan both started to sweat. Miwa didn't doubt that both men would love to see her sons married, more particularly, they'd love to see the princes married to their eligible daughters. However, Miwa had met Duke Rukan's two daughters and Lord Satsu's only daughter. She was not impressed.

"Your Highness?" Kota, Queen Miwa's top advisor, prompted.

"There is some validity to your statements," Queen Miwa allowed, sitting back in her seat. "I'm sure many in the kingdom wonder why none of my sons have yet chosen to take a bride. Though I think an even bigger reaction among the people is the hope that they might still yet be chosen and become a princess of Koukidan. Or perhaps have a family member be chosen." Rukan and Satsu both gulped, neither meeting the Queen's eyes.

"This is enough for today," Miwa said, waving one hand to dismiss her courtiers. "I will consider your words and determine if I feel any of my sons should marry at this point, and who they should perhaps marry." Eyes lit up in excitement as the nobles left the room and Miwa had to resist the desire to call out to them that they really had no reason to get their hopes up. She had enough indulgent royals among her sons. She certainly wouldn't allow any of them to marry a woman who was essentially the same. No, she wanted a higher caliber of women for her sons. Someone who would make them into better men.

Kota alone stayed and stood up to follow Miwa when she went to her study. Miwa sighed as she pulled a ledger listing functions and meetings she had to attend for the month towards her. Truth be told, she'd talked to her sons many times about getting married, but had made no headway with any of them.

Masaomi had yet to meet the right woman, and since he was searching for the kind of woman Miwa wanted him to be with, she was willing to be more patient with him. Ukyo was currently more interested in concerning himself with matters of state and making sure that his older brother was prepared to succeed the throne. Kaname had a whole harem of women at his disposal, both of the noble class and lower, with no interest in getting married and being monogamous. Hikaru loved court intrigue and spent much more effort learning the secrets of everyone at court than in courting anyone. Tsubaki and Azusa worked as a pair in everything and only regarded women as playthings to be shared between them and then discarded once they tired of them. The youngest triplet, Natsume, ran away to his own little fiefdom to escape court politics and Miwa was pretty sure he only cared about taking care of his people.

The rest of Miwa's sons were young enough that she felt little concern over their lack of interest in marriage—other than a general frustration that _none_ of her sons showed signs of being married soon. Louis held no political aspirations and seemed to go around spreading good will. Subaru fought as a knight for the kingdom and far preferred the company of the men who served under him than the company of women. Iori was the fairytale prince who showed no signs of preference between any of the women he associated with for some reason. Yusuke idolized Subaru and wanted to follow in his footsteps. Fuuto and Wataru were both too young to date, though she doubted that would stop Fuuto if he found someone who interested him.

Miwa sighed again until her eyes caught on the name 'Ambassador Rintaro' in her ledger. Miwa eyed the name curiously as she pulled the ledger closer to her.

Rintaro had an eligible daughter. Miwa had met the young woman several times when the girl was younger. Rintaro had brought his daughter, Ema, along with him when he first became ambassador. Miwa had met Ema again just recently when she traveled to the neighboring country of Istain, the ambassador's home country. Miwa had been most impressed with the young woman. Ema was kind, humble, and had a sweet presence about her that made her almost instantly endeating. Despite her luxurious surroundings, Ema hadn't let any of it go to her head.

Miwa had thought at the time that she wanted a gentle soul just like that for her sons. A devious smile curled her lips as the thought crossed her mind again. "Kota, when will Ambassador Rintaro be here?"

"He should arrive in two weeks' time, your Highness," Kota answered. "But I'm afraid he'll be bearing bad news. Civil war is likely to break out in Istain, which will undoubtedly affect our relations and trade with them."

"Civil war?" Miwa asked curiously, the almost happy lilt in her voice confusing Kota.

"Y-yes, your Highness. With the death of the king, there is a dispute about which of his twin sons should ascend to the throne. No one knows which of the brothers is the eldest, and the king was supposed to appoint his successor before his death, but with his untimely illness, it never happened."

"I see," Miwa said, her mind on a completely different matter as she nodded her head. Civil war would make Istain a dangerous place, especially for the vulnerable young daughter of an ambassador. Koukidan was a much larger, more prosperous, and more powerful country than Istain. That made Rintaro an important man as the ambassador to it. Whichever brother Rintaro supported, the other was likely to go after Ema, either to use her as a hostage to get Rintaro onto his side, or kill Ema as retribution for Rintaro not supporting him. Either way, a warring county was no place for a lady.

~.~

"I'm terribly sorry to hear about the troubles in Istain," Miwa told Rintaro, standing and facing the window as he sat on a couch in her study. Miwa held most official meetings in more stately rooms, but since unlike most people she met with Rintaro wasn't arrogant, self-entitled, and self-serving, she made an exception for him. "I'm afraid it is a difficult situation with no clear solution."

"Yes," Rintaro said, leaning his elbows on his knees and staring sadly at his hands. "I think my king predicted this outcome regardless of what course of action he took, which is why he never took the time to name a successor. I wish that he had though. At least then the people would know who to support instead of feeling so much uncertainty."

"Yes…there will be a great deal of uncertainty," Miwa agreed, walking away from the window and sitting next to the ambassador. "Ambassador Rintaro, Istain will be dealing with more and more uncertainty until the issue of who will rule is resolved. I'm afraid that Koukidan cannot get involved. We have no right to say which twin is the rightful heir and if we did involve ourselves, people in Istain may fear that Koukidan has plans to control your country."

"Yes, I understand of course," Rintaro assured Miwa, his eyes still troubled. "I know that there's nothing in this situation you can do, nor should you feel obligated to."

"Except…there is something I wish to do to help." Rintaro looked at Queen Miwa curiously, wondering what she was talking about. His eyes widened in surprise when Miwa took one of his hands and held it between her own. "Your daughter Ema is such a precious gem. I hate the thought of anything happening to her during all this uncertainty and confusion. Please, send her here, to Koukidan. I promise that the royal family will look after Ema and keep her safe."

Rintaro's mouth opened in shock. He had to take a few moments before he could speak. "Queen Miwa, Ema is my only daughter, my only child. I cannot simply send her away. She is the only family that I have."

"Don't you see that that is all the more reason to send her away?" Miwa asked. "How would you go on if something happened to Ema? I would invite you to stay in Koukidan as well, but I know how important Istain is to you, and that you could never bear to leave your home. I also know the obligation you feel as a high-ranking official to help resolve the crisis of Istain's next ruler, but there is no reason for Ema to remain in danger. Just send her here until things calm down in Istain. Once your country is peaceful again, then Ema can return home."

Rintaro still stared at Miwa in shock, his face showing part of the horror he felt at the idea of sending his daughter away. Obviously, Miwa needed to push harder.

"I'm only suggesting this for the sake of Ema. I have no daughters of my own, but I have known Ema since she was a little girl. If I had a daughter, I would want her to be much like your precious girl. And you have been such a good friend to me during your years as ambassador. This is all that I can do to be of help to you. Please, let me do this, Rintaro. For Ema and for you."

Rintaro stared at the floor, the conflict on his face clear. Miwa sighed and moved her hands away from his. His gaze jerked up to her face, afraid that he had offended her. "I know that you only offer this out of the goodness of your heart, Queen Miwa, and I promise that I do appreciate it."

Only years of practice allowed Miwa to keep the irritation off her face. Why did Rintaro have to be so stubborn? Though Miwa could admire the love Rintaro held for his daughter, Ema was of marriageable age and Rintaro needed to get used to the idea of Ema not being around. He couldn't keep her sheltered inside his estate forever.

Miwa slid closer to Rintaro and placed a hand on his leg. His eyes widened and a blush crept over his cheeks. "Ambassador Rintaro, you are an important man in Istain. That will make your daughter a target. Regardless of which brother you support for the throne, the other brother is likely to go after Ema to get back at you. Are you confident that you can keep her safe?"

Finally, Rintaro hung his head in defeat. "No," he admitted quietly and sighed heavily. "I will have Ema brought here after my return to Istain, as you have so graciously offered to care for her. I will send for her after things calm down and are safe again."

With Rintaro's gaze turned away, Miwa let a triumphant smile spread across her face, but kept her voice kind and consoling. "As a parent, I know that it can be difficult to do what is best for our children at times, but you've made the right choice, Ambassador Rintaro. Ema will be in good hands."

~.~

Eleven of the thirteen princes of Koukidan lounged around the large sitting room, waiting for their mother. She had called all of them together, sending a message to each that she had something important to tell them. Only Natsume, who was ruling his fiefdom miles away, and Subaru, who was fighting a border battle with the kingdom of Losa, were missing.

Miwa arrived shortly, a pleased smile on her face as she surveyed her sons.

"Mom!" Wataru cried, jumping to his feet and throwing his arms around her waist.

Miwa's smile gentled as she hugged her youngest song. "Hello, my Dear. Have you been good?"

"Yep! I have been," Wataru said, nodding his head earnestly. "I've been doing all my studies and my tutors say I'm doing a good job. Aso said that—"

"Would you mind telling us what was so important that you had to call us all here?" Tsubaki asked, interrupting. "I'm afraid this is far too many annoying people crowded into one place for me to tolerate for long."

"I wanted to inform you all that we're going to have a guest stay at the palace for the foreseeable future."

Silence greeted her statement as the brothers wondered what kind of guest warranted Miwa making a semi-official announcement to the princes.

"Is the guest a visiting ruler?" Ukyo asked. "If that's the case, you might _not_ want to inform Tsubaki. Though then it's good that Kaname's here so he knows to make himself scarce."

"Don't you mean make my _harem_ scarce?" Kaname asked mockingly, spreading his arms across the back of the couch he was sitting on. "That's your real concern isn't it? That one prince having so many women attached to him might make the kingdom look bad? Or maybe that's just your jealousy talking. I bet if you let loose a little you could get a girl or two to come to you too."

Ukyo huffed and crossed his arms, refusing to look at Kaname as his face flashed crimson.

"No, it's not a visiting ruler," Miwa said before her sons could make any more guesses or argue with each other further. "You all know of Ambassador Rintaro from Istain and all of you who bother paying attention to politics know that Istain is currently going through a crisis regarding the rightful heir to the throne now that their king is dead."

"Istain's king died?" Yusuke asked in surprise.

"Yes, Yusuke," Ukyo said in irritation, adjusting his glasses as he spoke. "You could at least involve yourself in the affairs of our country enough to know when the leader of one of our allies perishes. He's been dead for over a month."

"I bet at least half the others didn't know either," Yusuke muttered under his breath.

"Maybe," Fuuto said, "but they're not stupid enough to blurt out their ignorance in front of everyone. That's the difference between an idiot and a wise man. Thank goodness you don't involve yourself at court."

"Boys," Miwa interrupted before Yusuke could fire back an insult at his younger brother. They quieted and turned their attention back to her. "Due to the instability in Istain and my longstanding friendship with Ambassador Rintaro, I offered to house his daughter until things are once again stable in his country. As she is the daughter of a dear friend I expect _all_ of you to interact with her and to be on your utmost behavior as hosts."

"Ema?" Yusuke asked in surprise, then turned red when all his brothers' attention turned to him. "What?" He demanded. "That's the name of Ambassador Rintaro's daughter, isn't it?"

"That's right," Miwa mused, tapping a finger to her chin. "You used to play with her back when the ambassador brought her along with him, didn't you? I'm surprised you remember her name."

"I—it's not for any reason that I remember it," Yusuke said, shoving his hands in his pockets and staring at the floor. "It just happened to remain in my mind, that's all."

"Probably the only thing that's managed to remain in there," Fuuto quipped.

"That's it!" Yusuke exclaimed, lunging at Fuuto to tackle him to the floor.

"Now, now," Hikaru said, grabbing Yusuke as he passed him and hooking his arms around Yusuke's to hold him in place. "You heard mother. She wants us all to give this girl a warm welcome and make a good impression. If you leave a mark on Fuuto's face, this girl might get the wrong idea about us."

 **A/N:** Updates will be at least once a week.


	2. Royal Guest

**Chapter 1: The Guest**

"So that's the girl, huh?" Tsubaki asked, leaning against the balcony railing outside his and Azusa's shared quarters. Down below a young woman had just stepped out of a carriage and was being greeted by Miwa, Iori, and Wataru. "She's kind of cute."

"Is she?" Azusa asked, joining Tsubaki at the railing. "She looks a little young. How old is she?"

Tsubaki shrugged. "I wonder what girls from Istain are like. Personally, I'm bored of girls from Koukidan. They're all the same. It'd be nice to play with someone different, don't you think?"

Azusa raised his eyebrows as he stared down at the ambassador's daughter, then turned to look at his twin. "You really think it's a good idea to play with mom's personal guest?"

Tsubaki smirked at Azusa. "Mom did ask us to give Lady Ema a warm welcome, didn't she?"

~.~

"These are the rooms where you'll be staying," Iori said as he opened a door and showed Ema inside. "There's a sitting room, a bathing room, a study, and the bedroom. You can see the courtyard gardens from your bedroom windows and you're free to visit them anytime. I can also show you the library if you'd like."

"And my rooms are close to yours!" Wataru exclaimed. "So you can come get me to play anytime."

"Thank you, Prince Wataru," Ema said, a shy smile breaking across her face. She felt lost coming all the way to the capitol of Koukidan by herself, and now she was supposed to live here among strangers for who knew how long. She missed her father and the only person in the entire country that she knew other than the Queen was Prince Yusuke, who she'd played with whenever she visited with her father years ago. She hoped he remembered her.

"My room is not too far away either," Iori informed Ema. "Feel free to come to me with any questions you might have, and if you forget anything that I showed you, don't be afraid to ask me again. I know that our palace is huge, so don't be embarrassed if you have to ask where something is multiple times."

"That's right!" Wataru agreed. "You're our guest, so we're supposed to help you out. You can come get me anytime for anything you need. I know where everything is, so I can be your guide."

"Thank you," Ema said sincerely, bowing to the two princes. Wataru's enthusiasm and Iori's kindness made Ema feel a little better. It'd be nice if everyone she encountered was this kind, but she knew that was unlikely. Most nobles certainly weren't like this in Istain, which was why Ema almost never went to court, preferring to stay on her father's estate instead. "I really appreciate all the help you've given me. I'm sorry you had to take the time to show me around."

"Not at all," Iori assured her with a smile. "Showing you around the palace is much more entertaining than our studies, but I'm afraid that our tutor won't tolerate mine and Wataru's absence for much longer."

"Ahhhh," Wataru said, sagging in disappointment. "I wanted to show Lady Ema the garden."

"Maybe you can show me later," Ema suggested, happy that the young prince seemed to enjoy her company.

"Okay!" Wataru agreed, perking up.

"Feel free to walk around the palace on your own," Iori urged. "This is your home for now and we want you to feel comfortable here."

"Thank you, Prince Iori," Ema said again as the two princes left. His words warmed her heart and Ema hoped she could be friends with him. It would make living in a strange country a little less lonely.

Ema spent the next hour investigating her quarters. She couldn't deny that she was impressed. She knew that Koukidan was a wealthy country, but these rooms were even more impressive than Ema's at home. She wondered if Queen Miwa had the rooms decorated and furnished so sumptuously just for Ema's sake or if all the guest rooms of the palace were this opulent.

After exploring her new rooms, Ema decided to walk around the palace and hopefully familiarize herself with it so that she'd quickly learn her way around and not get lost. The thought of walking around this foreign place by herself scared Ema, but the longer she put off wandering the palace by herself, the harder it would be to do it. Better to just force herself to do it right away.

Ema moved slowly through the halls, enchanted by the elaborate tapestries, vases, and artwork displayed throughout the palace. There were also many terraces and windows giving view to the luscious gardens outside featuring brilliantly colored flowers and heavily covered trees. Istain was a drier country and didn't have all this beautiful flora. Ema felt like she could look outside for days and not tire of the sight.

She was gazing out a window on the second floor, distracted by the sight of a red and blue bird when a voice said, "You're the daughter of Ambassador Rintaro, Lady Ema, right?"

Ema turned to see a handsome white-haired man with bangs covering one eye. "Yes, I am," Ema answered, wondering who this man was.

He flashed her a grin and said, "I'm Prince Tsubaki. I'm glad I ran into you so soon after you arrived. I wanted to let you know that my brothers and I are happy to house such a lovely young woman in our humble home."

"Thank you so much," Ema said, bowing from the waist. "I'm sorry to intrude on your family's hospitality, and I'm grateful to Queen Miwa for offering to keep me safe while things are unsettled in my country. I hope that I won't be too much trouble."

Tsubaki blinked in surprise, taken off guard. Ema was just so…sincere. "You are adorable aren't you?" Tsubaki said with a laugh.

"What?" Ema asked in confusion.

"Nothing," Tsubaki said, shaking his head and holding a hand out to Ema. "Come with me. I want to introduce you to my twin."

"O—Okay," Ema said tentatively, giving Tsubaki her hand. Was it a custom in Koukidan to hold someone's hand so soon after meeting them? Ema didn't know, but she didn't want to offend Prince Tsubaki, especially not when he was just being friendly.

Tsubaki pulled Ema through the door behind him and her eyes widened when she realized the area was a living quarters. The room was open and spacious with a giant canopy bed off to the left, a sitting area with couches and pillows to the right and a few closed doorways. Straight in front of Ema was a balcony with the doors open and gauzy curtains blowing in the wind.

Ema gasped when she saw the view of the gardens in front of the palace and unconsciously walked closer to the sight. All the other views she'd seen had been of gardens in the backyard, and while she'd seen the gardens leading to the palace when the carriage brought her, the sight from up here was quite different. The flowers were arranged in the patter of a giant, multi-colored rose, a picture that only became clear from high up, as on the ground you were too close to see it.

"It is a spectacular sight, isn't it?" A new voice asked. Ema turned her head to see a man who looked like Tsubaki, except with black hair instead of white.

"This is my twin, Azusa," Tsubaki introduced, slinging an arm around Azusa's shoulders.

"It's nice to meet you, Prince Azusa," Ema said, bowing. "Thank you for allowing me into your home."

Azusa blinked in surprise and Tsubaki grinned at his twin having the exact same reaction as him to this strange new young woman. "Don't mention it," Tsubaki said. "Like I said, we're excited to have you. This room here is mine and Azusa's shared quarters."

"You share?" Ema asked in surprise, thinking that the palace was more than large enough for both of them to have their own set of rooms.

"Only because we want to," Azusa explained.

"We're two halves of the same whole," Tsubaki said, wrapping his other arm around Azusa so he was hugging his twin's shoulders. "It's painful to be separated from each other. And boring."

"I see," Ema said with a smile. "It must be wonderful to have a relationship like that with your brother. I bet that you two have a special bond as twins." Ema was jealous, having had no siblings and few friends growing up. Her father kept her mostly isolated on his estate, so her friends had been the servants of the house, and at court she also felt more comfortable taking with the servants than with the nobles.

The brothers exchanged a glance, then Tsubaki murmured, "I told you she'd be an interesting toy."

"You were right," Azusa agreed quietly. "And it _is_ nice to have someone new around."

"You're right about us having a special bond," Tsubaki said in a louder voice as Azusa circled around behind Ema. "That's why we share _everything._ "

"Everything?" Ema asked, tilting her head and taking half a step back when Tsubaki suddenly appeared right in front of her. "Even a bed?" Ema half-glanced at the giant canopy bed.

"We have separate beds to sleep in," Tsubaki said, grabbing Ema's chin and running his thumb over her bottom lip. " _That_ bed is for…other things."

Ema blushed at Tsubaki's touch and tried to step back again, but ran into Azusa's chest. His arms came up to circle around Ema's waist and hold her against him. "What other things?" She asked, confused by the twins' actions and trying to keep the conversation going as a distraction.

Tsubaki paused when he saw genuine confusion in Ema's eyes. She truly had no idea what he was referring to. How utterly precious. But Azusa and Tsubaki had played with innocents before. They caved easily enough.

With Azusa holding Ema in place, Tsubaki cupped Ema's head in one hand, holding it to the side as he bent down and began kissing his way up her neck.

"Wh-wh-what are you d-doing?" Ema stuttered. She tried to pull away, but only succeeded in pushing herself closer to Azusa.

"We're just welcoming you," Azusa murmured in Ema's ear before gently taking the lobe between his teeth and pulling.

Ema squeezed her eyes shut as her face burned red. _This_ was considered a welcome in Koukidan? She'd heard that Koukidan was more...open-minded about relations between men and women than Istain, but she hadn't expected anything like _this._

"Um…I—I need to be somewhere else," Ema said desperately, trying to think of a way out of this situation without upsetting or offending the princes. She knew too little of Koukidan culture to understand what was going on and she didn't know what to do. She'd never even been kissed before and now she had _two_ men giving her attention.

Tsubaki chuckled against her neck. "And where, exactly, is it that you need to be?" He slid his tongue along her collarbone to taste her and moaned softly. "Mmmm. You taste good, Lady Ema. Do all women in Istain taste like this or is it just you?"

"I-I don't know," Ema said, so flustered that she answered.

When Tsubaki began kissing along Ema's jawline, Ema turned her head to move her lips away from his, so saw when the door opened and a servant woman with long red hair entered. _Thank goodness,_ Ema thought, _now I'm saved._ Except, although both brothers stopped kissing Ema, they merely turned to look at the servant, their arms still wrapped around Ema.

"How dare you just walk in here," Tsubaki said in irritation. "These are our private quarters. What do you want?"

"Forgive me, princes," the servant said in a soft voice, bowing and keeping her face pointed down towards the ground. "The Queen asked me to check on her guest. I knocked, but no one answered."

While Azusa was wondering how the servant woman knew that Ema was in here, Tsubaki said, "Obviously, she's doing quite well. Can't you see that for yourself?"

Ema looked desperately at the woman, trying to send the message that she was _not_ doing quite well. She was confused and flustered and still didn't understand what was going on.

"I'm sorry, princes, but the Queen wanted me to ensure that the ambassador's daughter was settled into her quarters and did not lack anything she needed. She is not in her quarters and so I'm unable to ascertain her needs."

Ema's eyes widened. That almost sounded like backtalk, though the woman kept her eyes on the floor the entire time. The twins tensed against her, but then slowly slid their arms off her and she scurried away.

" _That_ was annoying," Tsubaki said, staring at the closed door.

"True," Azusa agreed, his gaze also on the door. "But her reaction to us was entertaining and this makes the chase more fun. Just be grateful we have a new toy to relieve our boredom."

"True," Tsubaki agreed, grinning. "She didn't give in during the time we had with her. I'm looking forward to seeing how long it takes for her to fall for us."

~.~

"Thank you," Ema told the servant as they walked back to Ema's rooms. Ema didn't know what she would have done or what would have happened if the woman hadn't interrupted. She could still feel the twins' lips on her and the sensation made her blush.

"Don't worry about it," the servant brushed off in a smooth voice. "I know how some of the princes can be. They're a little…forceful about getting what they want. They're not used to anyone saying no to them. I'm afraid it's made them a little spoiled and ill-mannered. I hope you don't think badly of them for it."

"No, I don't," Ema said. She felt more confused than anything. Ema glanced over at the woman, surprised at how pretty she was. "What's your name?"

"Me?" The servant asked, as though surprised to be asked that question. "I'm Lesa."

"It's nice to meet you, Lesa," Ema said as they walked into Ema's rooms.

Lesa smiled at Ema. "Thank you, Lady Ema. Is there anything that I can get for you? Anything that you need?"

Ema shook her head. "All I want to do right now is rest. It was a long journey here and I'm pretty tired." It had already been an eventful day. "Thank you, though. And thank you again for bringing me back to my rooms."

"Of course, Lady Ema. If there is anything that you need, don't be afraid to let me know. As a servant I'm pretty knowledgeable about what goes on around here. I can tell you who's who and where all the best places and food are around here." She winked and Ema smiled, delighted to meet another kind soul in this crazy place. "I'll leave you to yourself now. Have a good rest, Lady Ema."

"Thank you. Bye, Lesa. I hope that I'll see you soon."

"I'm sure you will," Lesa promised with a twinkle in her eye.


	3. Old Acquaintance

**Chapter 2: Old Acquaintance**

"And these red and blue flowers are my favorite!" Wataru chirped, pointing out the flower as he and Ema walked through the gardens.

"They're amazing, Prince Wataru," Ema said sincerely, entranced by all the flowers of Koukidan. "I don't think that Istain has any flowers that are more than one color like this. I can't believe that all these flowers exist. They just don't seem real." Ema only saw people in the gardens behind the palace occasionally and couldn't understand why. She'd only been at the palace for less than a week, but Ema already thought the garden was probably going to be her favorite place.

"That's nothing!" Wataru declared proudly. "There's a flower with red, yellow, _and_ purple over by the flower fountain. We can go there next. Come on, Lady Ema!"

Ema followed along behind the bounding prince, but veered off when her eyes got on a purple flower that almost looked like crinkled tissue paper. The sight reminded her of a flower from her own garden on her father's estate back in Istain. A feeling of homesickness so strong it brought tears to her eyes overcame Ema as she stared at the flower. She prayed that her father was safe and that she could go home soon. If only of the twin princes would just cede his power to his brother. They were family, after all. Could they really want power so much that they'd destroy each other and their own country to get it?

Ema looked up with a sigh, trying to blink her tears away so she wouldn't concern the prince, only to find herself alone. "Prince Wataru?" She asked in surprise. He must not have noticed that she'd stopped and continued on without her. Ema wavered in place, not sure if she should try to find him. She didn't know what direction he'd gone in and she was afraid of getting lost in the massive gardens.

"Hello?" Someone asked. "Can I help you?"

Ema turned to see a young man with droopy eyes and white-blond hair pulled back into a half ponytail. He was dressed casually and had a calm aura about him.

"I was walking around the gardens with my friend when I got distracted," Ema confessed. "He wandered off without me and I'm not sure where to go to find him."

"Ah, lost friends is a problem," the stranger said, nodding like he understood. "Do you know where he might have gone?"

"He said he wanted to show me a three-colored flower by the flower fountain," Ema said, hoping this man might know the garden well enough to direct Ema where to go. She was afraid that when Wataru found her gone he might think that Ema had left him on purpose. She'd hate to hurt the little prince's feelings, even unintentionally. He was so nice to Ema and really seemed to enjoy spending time with her.

The blond smiled. "I know exactly where that is. Come with me and I'll show you the way."

Ema smiled gratefully. "Thank you. I really appreciate it, and I'm sorry for troubling you."

"It's no trouble at all," he assured Ema. "I like to come out here to think sometimes. It's nice and quiet and there's a special feeling you get in nature that you can't get anywhere else. Don't you think?"

"Yes," Ema agreed, wondering who this kind man was. It'd be nice if she could make another friend at the palace. Currently she just had Wataru, who was usually off busy with lessons and learning how to be a prince. And Ema hadn't seen Lesa since her first day there, though she hoped to become friends with the woman. "Koukidan is a beautiful country. It's so much greener than Istain."

"Istain?" The blond asked. "You're Ema then? Ambassador Rintaro's daughter?"

Ema nodded her head, looking at the man curiously. How did he know who she was? Even though it was Queen Miwa who invited Ema to stay at the palace until the political situation in Istain stabilized, surely the Queen hadn't told many people about Ema staying here. Ema wasn't important enough for that. Queen Miwa was just doing a favor for a long-time friend.

"My name is Louis," the blond said. "I was hoping that I'd get to meet you soon. I was thinking that it must be really hard for you to leave behind everything you know and come to a strange place. I know I'd be really sad and feel uncertain, but I hope that you can be comfortable here and feel like Koukidan is a second home while you have to be away from your first home."

"Thank you, Louis," Ema said, touched. Now she _really_ hoped she could be friends with this guy. "What do you do at the palace, Louis?" She asked. With his casual clothing and his knowledge of the gardens, Ema wondered if he was a gardener.

"Oh, not much," Louis said. "I guess I really like making things pretty. Or people. I spend a lot of my time doing that, I guess."

Ema wondered what kind of job entailed making things and people pretty when Wataru burst through some shrubs to the side, making Ema jump. "Lady Ema! I'm glad I found you, I was worried you got lost. I'm sorry I ran ahead and wasn't paying attention, but I see you found my brother."

"Brother?" Ema asked in confusion, turning to look at Louis, who just smiled at her. Brother, meaning that Louis was _Prince_ Louis and Ema had just spoken to him without using his title. Twice. "I'm so sorry, Prince Louis!" Ema exclaimed, bowing. "I didn't mean to be so rude!"

"Rude?" Louis asked, tilting his head to the side. "When were you rude? I thought we were having a nice conversation."

"I-I didn't call you prince."

"I didn't ask you to." Ema blinked in surprise, having never heard any of the nobility say anything like that before. Louis shrugged. "I don't like formalities, and we're becoming friends, right? Titles just create distance in relationships. It's lonely to isolate yourself from others by using such formal titles. Just call me Louis."

Ema felt pleased, but still blushed when she said, "Then just call me Ema, please." She'd never heard of a royal being so informal and she wondered if Louis felt lonely as a prince. She couldn't imagine how hard it would to be surrounded by people who might lie to you all the time, either trying to curry favor or to not offend.

"Me too!" Wataru exclaimed, feeling ignored. He stepped in front of Louis and took one of Ema's hands, placing his other hand on his chest. "Just call me Wataru too, no prince. We're friends, so we don't need titles, right?"

"Okay, Wataru," Ema agreed, feeling awkward addressing someone so high in station without using a title, but happy nonetheless. Less than a week here and she already had two friends. Maybe living in Koukidan could become another home to her, like Louis said.

~.~

Ema was walking down the hall later that day when she paused, her heartbeat speeding up at the sight in front of her. Red hair. Could it be? Red wasn't a very common hair color. Ema hurried down the hall, hoping that it was Prince Yusuke. They had been such good friends when they were little and her father brought Ema to Koukidan with him. She hoped that Yusuke remembered.

"E-excuse me," Ema called. The man continued walking. "Excuse me," Ema said again, trying to walk fast and catch up to him.

"What?" The red head asked in an irritated voice, turning to face Ema. She took a step back, surprised at the tone. Her eyes searched his face. It certainly looked like him, except…ornerier.

"I'm sorry," Ema said timidly, "Are you Prince Yusuke?"

"Yes," he answered slowly. "Who are you?"

Ema deflated a little at the question. He didn't remember her. Of course not. He was a prince and she was just the daughter of an ambassador. Why would Yusuke remember her? Then she reminded herself that it had been years since they'd seen each other. Maybe he didn't recognize her. "I'm Lady Ema Hinata." She paused after that, not sure what else to add. If he still didn't remember her, what was she supposed to say? If she reminded him of their childhood friendship, it might sound like she was trying to curry favor with him.

"Oh right, the ambassador's daughter. Mom said that you were coming to live here. I guess I heard something about you arriving a little while ago. Did you need something?"

Ema's shoulders slumped. She shouldn't have gotten her hopes up, but after her father told her he was sending her away and she got over her initial upset, she had been looking forward to seeing Prince Yusuke again. Apparently, he didn't feel the same. She must just be one in a long line of dignitary and noble daughters that Yusuke had met in his lifetime. "No," Ema said quietly, then tried to force a polite smile. "I'm just trying to familiarize myself with the palace residents. I apologize for bothering you." She bowed before turning and walking in the opposite direction.

Yusuke's heart squeezed as he watched Ema walk away. Was it just his imagination, or had Ema seemed disappointed? Yusuke's brothers kept teasing him about remembering Ema's name after he blurted it out in front of everyone. And then Tsubaki said he remembered that Yusuke trailed after Ema like a lost puppy when they were younger, which made the teasing even worse. But because of that, Yusuke decided that maybe it _was_ weird that he remembered Ema so well, and that maybe she didn't remember him. They had been pretty young when they were friends, after all. He hadn't wanted to look like an idiot and be excited to see Ema again only for her to not even know who he was. But she had looked so disappointed…Maybe Ema did remember them being friends. Then again, maybe it was just wishful thinking on his part.

~.~

Two days later, Ema was walking near the front of the palace grounds when she saw a girl around her age in a ratty dress timidly walking toward the palace. Ema watched her curiously, but when the girl got closer, two guards move to bar her way.

"You're not allowed to pass this way," one of them said, giving the girl a fierce glare.

The girl flinched back, fisting her hands in the skirts of her dress before taking another step forward. " _Please,_ " she begged. "I—I have to get inside and ask for help. I—my father needs help."

"This is the royal palace, not a charity," the other guard growled menacingly. "Go back to your village."

"We have nowhere else to turn!" She said, closing her eyes, but refusing to back away.

"I _said,_ go back to your village!"

The guard raised an arm to hit the girl and Ema hurried forward. "Wait!" Ema cried. Her heart pounded in fear of the armed guards, but she couldn't just sit back and do nothing. The girl wasn't hurting anyone and hadn't done anything wrong. The guard had no right to hit her.

The guard paused and turned to look at Ema, narrowing his eyes at her. "Who are you?" He demanded, looking Ema over. He kept his tone semi-polite, not sure if Ema was someone he should be listening to.

"Don't you recognize her?" The other guard asked, whispering to his companion. "She's the one the captain of the guard pointed out to us, Ambassador Rintaro's daughter and Queen Miwa's special guest. Captain said we're supposed to follow her orders." He gave Ema a nod before walking away, taking his partner with him.

"What is it that you need?" Ema asked the girl.

She looked at Ema desperately, still clutching her skirts. "I—it's my father. H—he's really sick and we don't have any money for medicine or a doctor. I know that it was impertinent for me to come here, but…but…" Her voice got quiet. "The nobility are supposed to take care of their people, but we in the village and our plights are just ignored. I only came here out of desperation. He's the only family I have."

"What's wrong with your father?" Ema asked compassionately.

"He has a terrible fever. It's lingered for days and I don't know what to do. We have no money for medicine and the town physician won't even look at my father because he knows how poor we are."

"What's your name?" Ema asked.

"It's Imai, my Lady," the girl answered, keeping her eyes on the ground.

"Well Imai, my name is Ema," Ema said, taking Imai's chin and raising it until she looked into Ema's eyes. "And I know where you can get what you need without spending anything. Yarrow is one of the best remedies for a fever. I know that yarrow grows at the edge of the woods on the outskirts of the village. I saw it when I came here. It's small and has pink flowers with lacey leaves. You need to boil it in water and then have your father soak his hands and feet in the water. That should help with the fever."

"Oh, thank you, Lady Ema!" Imai exclaimed, taking Ema's hands in her own. "Thank you! I'll go do that right away."

Imai turned to leave and Ema looked at the thinness of the girl. "Wait!" Ema cried. Imai turned and Ema quickly took off her gold bracelet with blue sapphire gems. "You father won't get better if he doesn't gain back his strength after the fever breaks," Ema said, holding the bracelet out to Imai. "Just like you, my father is the only family that I have. Use this to buy food for you and your father."

Imai stared at the bracelet wide-eyed, then look up into Ema's eyes. "I can't, my Lady," Imai said, shaking her head. "That's far too valuable."

"It's mine to do with as I please," Ema said. "And now it's yours." She grabbed Imai's hand and placed the bracelet inside it, closing Imai's fingers over it. "Your father needs you, right Imai?"

Imai clutched the bracelet as tears formed in her eyes. "Thank you, Lady Ema," Imai said bowing. "My father and I will not forget your kindness." She bowed again before turning and running back to the village.

Ema watched as Imai ran, hoping that Imai's father would be okay. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose her father. He traveled a lot for his job as ambassador to Koukidan, but he and Ema were close and spent all the time together that they could.

Finally, when Imai was out of sight, Ema turned back to the palace. She gasped and took a step back when she found someone standing there. "Prince Yusuke!" Ema exclaimed in surprise, holding one hand to her racing heart.

Yusuke stared at Ema in amazement. He'd been walking the grounds when saw Ema doing the same. Like an idiot stalker, he'd hid behind a tree to watch her. After their last encounter was so awkward, he hadn't wanted to speak with her again, though he still wanted to see her. When the guard raised his hand to hit the peasant, Yusuke was about to interfere when Ema stepped forward. He'd been shocked at what Ema did next.

"You're amazing," Yusuke breathed, staring at Ema. "I saw what you did for that girl."

Ema blushed and shook her head. "I just did what anyone should do," she argued.

"No," Yusuke said, shaking his head. "I don't think I know any noblewoman who would have done what you just did. You're still so full of kindness, just like when we were kids." In addition to the fear that Ema wouldn't remember him, Yusuke had also feared that Ema was no longer the kind girl that he remembered. Court life tended to suck the goodness out of people.

Ema tilted her head in confusion. "Just like when we were kids?" She echoed. Then her face lit up. "Did you remember me?"

Yusuke's face flamed at his slip-up. He hadn't meant to say that, it just came out, but, obviously, Ema remembered him too. "That's not quite it," Yusuke admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I remembered you from the beginning. I knew who you were when Mom said that you were coming to live at the palace. It's just…I was shocked when I heard that you were coming back since we hadn't seen each other for so long. I was worried that you wouldn't remember me even though we were good friends when we were little, so I pretended like I didn't know who you are. I'm sorry."

"That's okay," Ema said, feeling relieved. She was so glad she wasn't the only one who remembered. And Yusuke called them good friends. "I was happy that even though I had to leave my home and my father, I at least had one friend here. I'm so glad that you remember me." She paused. "At least, I'd like to still be friends if that's okay with you."

Yusuke winced in guilt. He hadn't even thought about what it must be like for Ema to leave everything behind and come here without knowing when she might be able to return home. All he thought about was how excited he was to see her, and then he was consumed by his fear that their friendship had only been special to him. He was nothing but a jerk. Thank goodness Ema wasn't mad at him for being so stupid. "Definitely," Yusuke said.


	4. Banquet

**A/N:** Thanks to all those who've reviewed! It's nice to see that others enjoy seeing the brothers in a different scenario. Sorry you have to wait a while to meet all the brothers, but I promise that all thirteen will play a part!

 **Chapter 3: Banquet**

"It will be fabulous," Queen Miwa promised as she sat across from Ema.

"Are you sure you want me there?" Ema asked uncertainly. "I'm not from Koukidan and I'm not really anyone important."

"Don't be silly," Miwa brushed off. "You're my personal guest, of course you're someone important. If I didn't want you there, I promise I wouldn't invite you. My invitation to you isn't out of obligation, my Dear, it's out of a desire to help you feel more comfortable among my court. We don't know how long you'll be here for, after all." And Ema would have to be familiar with the court of Koukidan if she was going to be a princess of Koukidan.

"I only have my gowns from Istain to wear to the banquet," Ema said timidly, afraid that the foreign style might attract attention. "Is that okay?"

"Of course, my Dear," Miwa assured her. "Haven't you learned that it's a good thing to stand out?" Miwa was more than happy to accommodate anything that would bring her sons' attentions to the young woman. Of course, Ema just being Ema would do it, even without a different style of dress. Amongst the scheming, flirting women of the court, Ema alone would be the timid and humble woman trying _not_ to draw attention to herself. That alone was plenty _to_ draw the attention of several of her sons.

"Well, now that that's settled, I have court matters I must attend to," Miwa said, getting to her feet. "I will see you at the banquet, Lady Ema."

"Yes, Queen Miwa," Ema said, getting to her feet and walking the Queen to the door. "Thank you for the personal invitation to your banquet." She watched Miwa walk away with troubled eyes. She truly appreciated the Queen's attempt to make her feel welcome in Koukidan, but she felt very nervous about attending the banquet. She still knew little about Koukidan's culture and nothing of its court. She'd hate to make a fool of herself and embarrass the queen.

"Is something wrong?" A gentle voice asked.

Ema jumped in surprise and turned to see Prince Iori giving her a concerned look. Ema gave an embarrassed smile. "Queen Miwa invited me to her banquet. I guess I'm just a little nervous about appearing before the court."

"I see," Iori said with an understanding nod. "I'm sure it must be difficult when you still know so few people in Koukidan. Why don't I be your escort then? Would that help make you feel more comfortable?"

"Yes," Ema said, with a relieved smile. "I would appreciate that. Thank you so much, Prince Iori." Ema gave a small bow of thanks.

~.~

Ema nervously ran her hands over the full skirt of her dress. It was one of her favorites with the spring green color and the pink rose design sown into the dress, but it would definitely stand out. Dresses in Koukidan tended to be more form-fitting, low cut, and feature slits. Women in Istain dressed to look elegant while women in Koukidan dressed to entice. At least, that's what Ema's maid always told her.

When Ema heard a knock on her door, she hurried to answer. On the other side she found Iori dressed in a cream suite with blue accents. He smiled when he saw Ema. "You look lovely," he said, holding his arm out to her.

Ema placed her hand in Iori's elbow and blushed at the compliment. "Do you think I'll stand out too much?" She asked. She really didn't want to attract attention, or do anything to disrupt the banquet. There would be many nobles present, which probably meant it was an important evening for Queen Miwa.

Iori paused before saying, "It's a banquet and you're supposed to look your best. You do, and that's what's important. If anyone comments badly about your dress, it's only because they're jealous."

They walked the rest of the way to the dining hall in silence. Ema was sure that Iori meant for his words to comfort her, but instead they just made her more nervous. He _did_ think that she'd stand out with her Istain dress. Maybe she should have asked her father for money to buy clothing in Koukidan, but she hoped she wouldn't be here for very long. And despite the faults of the rulers of her country, Ema loved Istain. She was proud to represent her country through her clothes. She just wished it didn't mean drawing attention to herself.

Outside the dining hall stood a crowd of girls around Ema's age dressed in revealing, jewel colored dresses. For some reason, Ema felt like the atmosphere darkened as she and Iori joined the crowd.

"Prince Iori," a girl in a sleeveless purple dress whined, coming up and taking his other arm. "What are you doing coming to the banquet tonight with a foreigner? We've all been waiting _so_ long to get to see you. You know most of us don't live close to the palace. It's not fair for you to bring someone else as your guest when we came just to spend time with you."

"That's right, Prince Iori," another girl in a sapphire dress with a slit up to nearly the top of her thighs said. She stood close to Iori's other side, crowding Ema. "Aren't you happy to see us? It's hurtful to see you with a girl we don't even know on your arm. It's even worse that she's not from Koukidan."

"It wasn't my intention to offend anyone," Iori began. "This lady is—"

"Prince Iori," a girl in pink interrupted. "I never heard your response to my father's invitation to come out to our country home. He so would like to discuss the country's economy with you. You know that he wants to expand his cloth dyeing business and he greatly values your opinion."

While Iori was distracted, the girl in sapphire turned and gave Ema a vicious glare. Ema flinched, her hold on Iori's arm loosening. The girl immediately took advantage of it and pushed Ema out of the way, taking Iori's arm in her own. Iori looked over at Ema in surprise, but their view of each other was cut off as the girls quickly surrounded Iori and led him into the dining hall.

A few of the girls stayed behind for a moment. "We better not catch you hanging around Prince Iori again, _foreigner._ " One of them spit out.

"And you better not let it go to your head that he was willing to escort you to the banquet," another warned. "Prince Iori is kind to everyone. That's why _we_ have to watch out for him. So that people like _you_ don't take advantage of him. Prince Iori is the perfect prince, even among all his brothers. Some girl from Istain will never be good enough for him." With a sniff, the rest of the girls spun on their heels and waked into the dining hall.

Ema stood there, hurt and unsure of what to do next. Did most Koukidans have bad feelings about foreigners? And what did the girl mean by someone like Ema? She hadn't thought she was doing anything to take advantage of Iori, but maybe it was arrogant of her to think it was okay for her to attend the banquet with one of the princes.

She clutched her arms, struggling to keep her tears from falling. All she wanted to do was go back to her room. Or, even better, go back to Istain. The very last thing she wanted to do was walk into the dining hall by herself with no idea of where to sit or what to do, but she'd already told Queen Miwa that she would be there.

Ema bit her lip as she dithered near the dining room doors. Maybe she could just go back to her rooms. There were so many people here tonight, surely the Queen wouldn't notice if Ema wasn't present. She was just the daughter of an ambassador after all, but as the daughter of the ambassador, it was also her duty to not do anything that might harm Istain's relationship with Koukidan.

She was trying to work up the courage to step into the dining hall when a quiet voice said, "Ema?"

Ema turned to see Louis standing in a white suit with green accents that matched Ema's dress. "Are you waiting to go in?"

"Oh," Ema said, looking at the doors like she'd forgotten they were there. How embarrassing to be caught standing in the hall. She hoped that Louis had just shown up.

"Do you have an escort tonight?" Louis asked.

Ema shook her head, not bothering to explain what happened with Iori.

"Now, that's not right," Louis said, shaking his head. "Would you allow me the honor of being your escort tonight? Our outfits even match. We must have been meant to meet up outside the banquet tonight."

Ema smiled so radiantly that Louis couldn't help his answering smile. "I would love to have you as my escort, Louis." She took his arm, grateful beyond belief that Louis ended up running into her and was kind enough to go in with her. Louis truly was kind.

The two sat next to each other during dinner and Louis introduced Ema to the people sitting around them. None of them seemed very interested in talking to Ema or Louis, but she had so much fun talking with Louis that she didn't really mind, though she was surprised that these nobles seemed to have so little interest in talking to one of the princes of Koukidan. Especially one who was so nice. Ema and Louis talked about their favorite gardens and flowers, which then led into a talk about their hobbies.

Near the end of the meal when people started getting up to mingle and dance, Louis asked Ema, "Have you met all my brothers yet?"

Ema shook her head. "I've met Prince Iori, Wataru, you, Prince Yusuke, Prince Tsubaki, and Prince Azusa."

"Let me show you the rest," Louis said. Ema felt nervous for a minute about being introduced to all the rest of the princes at one time when Louis put a hand on Ema's shoulder and directed her attention to a kind looking man with soft brown hair sitting at a table beside Queen Miwa's. "That's my oldest brother and the crown prince, Masaomi. The man next to him with the glasses is Ukyo, his top advisor and the second oldest. The people sitting around them are some of the most powerful men in the country."

Louis turned and pointed at a corner where a handsome blond man with pierced ears stood with a few woman surrounding him and even more farther off staring at him longingly. "That's Kaname, the third oldest."

He paused to look around the room. "Hmmm. I can't see Hikaru. Come on." Louis stood up and offered a hand to Ema. Ema took the hand and they looked around for a while. Eventually, Louis gave up with a shrug. "Hikaru tends to do whatever he wants to, but I'm sure you'll meet him eventually. Next is the triplets, though you've already met Azusa and Tsubaki and the youngest, Natsume, doesn't live at the palace." Ema saw Tsubaki and Azusa off by themselves and blushed at the sight of them.

"Next is Subaru," Louis went on, oblivious to Ema's embarrassment. "But he's not at the capital right now. Then it's Iori and Yusuke. The only one left besides Wataru is…" Louis trailed off as a handsome boy who looked a few years younger than Ema walked by. He was accompanied by a group of giggling girls and admiring boys around his age. "Fuuto," Louis called softly. The boy turned at the sound of his name. "This is Mom's guest, Lady Ema, who's the daughter of Ambassador Rintaro. Ema, this is my second youngest brother, Fuuto."

"I-it's an honor to meet you, Prince Fuuto," Ema stammered as she gave a curtsey, surprised to suddenly meet another one of the princes face to face.

When she rose from her curtesy she thought she saw a flash of annoyance in Fuuto's eyes, and braced herself from more anger at being from Istain, but Fuuto surprised her by saying, "It's lovely to meet you, Lady Ema. Mother was so excited to have you come live with us. Are you enjoying Koukidan?"

"Yes, of course," Ema said. "Your palace is amazing and has such wonderful gardens. I'm very grateful for Queen Miwa's kindness, and for all the princes allowing me to stay in their home."

The eyes of the girls with Fuuto flashed with jealousy, but Fuuto merely nodded and said, "That's good to hear. Excuse me." He then lead his entourage away.

Ema resisted the urge to put a hand to her heart. Why did all the women of Koukidan seem to hate Ema? All the women except for Lesa and Imai, anyway. Maybe it was just the nobility, which shouldn't surprise Ema since she didn't get along well with the nobility in Istain either.

"That's all of us," Louis said. "At least, all of us who are here." Ema felt like her head was spinning a little and she wondered if she'd be able to remember all the names that Louis told her. She also wondered if any of the nobility had trouble keeping all the princes straight. Then again, their education probably included learning about all thirteen princes to make sure they didn't accidently offend the royal family.

"Lady Ema!" An enthusiastic voice exclaimed. Ema whirled to find Tsubaki behind her, looking excited at the sight of her. "Come dance with me," he said, taking Ema's arm and dragging her away. Ema tried to give Louis a desperate look, but the crowd was so thick that he was already blocked from her view.

Tsubaki pulled Ema close to him, taking one of her hands in his own and wrapping the other around her waist. Ema struggled to follow his steps, trying to pay attention to the other couples around them and mimic the movements of the women. She knew very few Koukidan dances and was afraid of making a fool of herself or stepping on Tsubaki's feet.

Tsubaki leaned down to murmur in Ema's ear. "Have you been avoiding my twin and I?"

Ema blushed and tried to concentrate on her steps, sure she'd mess up if her attention wavered for even a moment. "It's been really confusing and overwhelming moving to a new country suddenly. I've been very busy."

Ema spent a few moments focusing on her feet before daring to peek up at Tsubaki and ask, "Why are you and Prince Azusa off by yourselves?"

Tsubaki laughed. "You noticed that, did you? Azusa and I are nothing but fourth and fifth sons, so we're unnecessary. I don't know why the king and queen had so many kids. Maybe they were hoping for a princess, but could only make sons instead. Regardless, that's why my twin and are just indulgent royalty. There's nothing better for us to do. We don't mind though, otherwise we'd be boring like Masaomi or strict like Ukyo. And life is more fun this way, which is what Azusa and I want to show you while you're in Koukidan."

Despite Tsubaki's words, Ema somehow felt that Tsubaki was disappointed about believing he and his twin were useless. She wished that Tsubaki and Azusa didn't feel that way. She was sure they could have more purpose in life than just doing whatever they pleased.

Ema was so distracted by her thoughts that she didn't notice Tsubaki leading her to a darkened corner of the dining hall. When she finally noticed, she tried to pull away only for Tsubaki to pull her closer. "What are you doing?" She asked.

Tsubaki chuckled as he bent and blew air into Ema's ear. "I told you, Azusa and I want to show you how fun indulgent royalty are."

Azusa appeared at Ema's other side, taking her hand and kissing her palm. "It's reckless to do something like this so out in the open, but Tsubaki always prefers to make things more exciting."

Ema blushed and tried to pull away, shocked that they would do something like this at a banquet. Though the last time she'd seen the blond prince, he looked like he might be doing a similar thing. With multiple women.

"Excuse me," a bright voice said. "Would the princes like some wine?" Ema looked up in surprise to see Lesa, her hair pulled back in a bun as she held a tray full of glasses out to the princes. While they were distracted, Lesa deftly pulled Ema away from them and behind her.

"Hey!" Tsubaki exclaimed in irritation, but before he or Azusa could make a move, a small group of nobles appeared between Lesa and the twins.

"Where have you two been hiding?" A matronly woman asked. "We've been looking for you all evening."

Tsubaki quickly replaced his irritated look with an enthused mask. "Madam Asako, you honor my brother and me with your words. How ever can we be of service to you?"

The woman gave a delighted laugh. "Prince Tsubaki, you're such a flatterer. I just recently saw the play The Jester in the Court of Wise Men and had to ask your opinion of it, as I'm sure you've already seen it."

"Of course," Tsubaki readily agreed before launching into a genuinely excited discussion about the play.

Meanwhile, Azusa was speaking to a man who seemed to be Madame Asako's husband about the same topic. "The orchestra did an excellent job for most of the play," Azusa said matter-of-factly. "Though I did notice several mistakes during both the climax and lulls in the story. It seems the musicians were at times too excited and at other times too bored."

Lord Asako nodded his head. "I thought as much, though my ear is not as attuned to notice such things as yours, Prince Azusa."

Ema watched the two in amazement until Lesa nudged Ema with her arm. Ema looked up at the taller woman in surprise and Lesa whispered, "Now might be a good time to make your escape."

"Yes, of course," Ema said, blushing and realizing that Lesa had probably orchestrated this for Ema. She was in the woman's debt again. "I think that I'll retire for the night," Ema said. "I think I've had enough socializing." Though she had talked to few people, Ema still felt overloaded by the evening. She just wasn't used to such big crowds.

"Let me walk you back to your rooms," Lesa said, passing her tray of wine glasses off to another servant.

"You don't have to," Ema assured Lesa, though she felt grateful for the offer.

"Don't be silly," Lesa brushed off. "I haven't seen you in a while and I wanted to ask how you were doing."

Ema breathed a quiet sight of relief once the two were outside the dining hall and Lesa gave Ema a mischievous smile. "And I also wanted to ask if your feelings towards the twins have changed. You seemed a little enamored of them after I pulled you away. Perhaps I interfered too soon?"

Ema blushed again and vigorously shook her head. "I was just surprised," Ema explained. "I've never seen that side of the twins before. Prince Tsubaki was so bright and entertaining, and Prince Azusa was so calm and cool thinking. It was kind of amazing to see them like that."

"Do you think so?" Lesa asked curiously. "I suppose the twins are popular among a certain crowd, and they're very capable of being charming when they feel like it." Lesa paused before saying, "Well, now that it's been some time since we've seen each other, do you have any questions you wish to ask me? Anything you're curious about?"

Ema stayed quiet for moment, wondering if her question was appropriate. Finally, she hesitantly asked, "Is there a reason the nobles don't talk to Prince Louis much? I sat by him at dinner and none of our companions seemed interested in talking to either of us, though maybe it was just me that they objected too. But it also looked like most of the other princes were surrounded by nobles most of the evening and Prince Louis never was." Although Louis had given Ema permission to call him without using his title, she didn't feel comfortable talking to other people without using the title.

Lesa was silent and Ema looked over to see a sad look on Lesa's face. "Prince Louis isn't Queen Miwa's biological child," Lesa explained. "He was the son of the Queen's favorite handmaiden. The handmaiden died when Prince Louis was just at toddler, and the handmaiden was such a dear friend to the Queen that she adopted Louis as her son. There was a big outcry from the people since he's not of royal blood, but she was adamant on the matter and things eventually settled down. But that didn't stop the nobles from looking down on him. And when he grew older and showed no interest in politics or participating in the court at all, the nobles thought even less of him."

"How awful," Ema said quietly, wondering how lonely it must be to live in a palace always visited by dozens of nobles and to be friends with none of them. She wondered what the other princes thought of Louis. Hopefully, none of them judged him for his blood.

"What do you think of Prince Louis?" Lesa asked as they came to a stop outside Ema's room.

"I think he's wonderful," Ema answered honestly. "He's very kind and he's my friend. I think that anyone who doesn't like him isn't a very good judge of character. Or has very poor priorities."

Lesa smiled and curtsied. "I think that you're right, Lady Ema. Good night."

"Good night, Lesa. Thank you for saving me again and for walking me back to my rooms."

"Of course," Lesa said, rising from her curtsey with a smile. "How could I miss an opportunity to talk with one of my favorite occupants of the palace?"


	5. Village

**Chapter 4: Village**

The morning after the banquet, Ema heard a knock on her door. She placed the book she was reading on the couch and answered the door. To her surprise, Iori stood on the other side.

"Good morning, Lady Ema," he said, looking regretful. "I'm sorry to disturb you so early in the morning, but I wanted to apologize for last night. I didn't expect for Koukidan's noblewomen to interfere with my escorting you and I feel terrible about what happened."

"Don't worry about it," Ema said, happy that Iori cared enough to apologize. "I'm a stranger in your country, so I can understand why those women might be upset about seeing me on the arm of one of their princes, and Prince Louis kept me company at the banquet. He was a wonderful host. You don't need to feel bad about last night."

Iori shook his head. "You being a guest is no excuse, that makes it even worse. You're a guest in our country and I treated you badly. I should have said something to those noblewomen; I should have stopped them rather than being swept away. Please, let me do something to make it up to you."

Ema looked at Iori's sad face and remembered the words of the one of the girls from the night before about Iori being the perfect prince. How did someone even gain a reputation like that? "It must be difficult with the nobles always expecting you to be the perfect prince. It would be hard to go against people who have such a high expectation of you and risk disappointing them, or ruining your reputation. When people put a label on someone, they don't realize how it can affect that person, what kind of pressure and stress it puts on them."

Iori was too surprised to say anything for a moment. No one had ever wondered what it was like for him to try to live up to being the perfect prince of Koukidan. Even his mother's advisors referred to him as the perfect prince and always wanted to involve him in politics.

He couldn't help but think that if the situation between he and Ema last night had been reversed, there was no way Ema would have said nothing about the nobles pushing the two of them apart like he had. Despite Ema seeming timid, there was a quiet strength about her. Iori liked being with her. "I won't feel right until you come up with something I can do for you to make up for last night," Iori told her, then gave her a charming smile. "I'm willing to stand here waiting all morning until you come up with something."

"Well," Ema began tentatively, "I'd like to visit the nearby village if I can. The palace grounds are beautiful, but I feel cooped up staying at the palace all the time." Ema also wanted to find Imai and make sure that her father had recovered from his fever.

Iori smiled. "I'd be more than happy to take you to the village." He held a hand out to Ema. "Would you like to go now?"

~.~

Ema looked out the window of the carriage as they rode to the village, excited to see more of Koukidan. She'd seen parts of it when she first came, but her thoughts had been too melancholy for her to really enjoy the sights.

Closer to the palace, they first passed the large estates of the nobility before traveling through the less impressive, though still large, homes of successful merchants.

Iori watched Ema with interest as she looked out the window with delight at the different estates and homes as well as the various gardens and woods they passed on their way to the village. Thankfully, her attention was completely focused on what was outside the carriage, so Iori was able to study her without her noticing.

She seemed easily pleased, yet Iori wouldn't call her simple. He wasn't sure what _to_ call her. She was so different from the noblewomen he knew. She seemed delicate, yet strong. Innocent, but in some ways keenly observant of the feelings and intents of those around her. Above all, she was kind, a quality far too lacking among the aristocracy.

When they arrived in the village, Ema stepped out and turned in a circle to look at everything around her. She'd barely noticed the village when she'd passed it on her way to the palace, but she was curious about how villages in Koukidan compared to those in Istain. Koukidan was a more prosperous country, and Ema had to admit that the village did look better off than some of the villages in Istain, but this was the village closest to the capital, so there might be more wealth here.

"What do you think?" Iori asked, standing back to watch Ema take everything in.

"A lot of the businesses and homes are a little bigger," Ema said. Koukidan had much more open designs in their buildings, even among the peasant class, which made the buildings some larger and more airy. But, then again, Koukidan didn't have the terrible sand storms that plagued Istain every year. And Ema saw that the further one went into the village, the shabbier the residents became. The relatively wealthier of the peasants must live on the outskirts.

At the point, Ema noticed the crowd that she and Iori were gaining. She heard murmurs of, "It's Prince Iori!" "Prince Iori has come to visit the village again." "The perfect prince is here!" The faces of the crowd were obviously excited.

Ema was impressed. It was one thing for a royal or noble to be loved by the aristocracy, it was another for them to be loved by the people. "Even the peasants love you and think you're the prince of princes," Ema commented. "That's amazing, Prince Iori!"

Iori looked embarrassed as he shook his head. "The people only like me because I'm kind to them."

Ema tilted her head and smiled at Iori. "Isn't that why people usually like other people? Because they're kind to them? When I was growing up my maid always told me that kindness is the most important thing of all. I think it's wonderful that you're kind to everyone without discriminating between nobles and peasants."

"You're the kind one," Iori argued.

Before he could say more, a man in refined clothing cautiously approached them. "Excuse me, Prince Iori, I serve the Kato family. My master sent me to find you because the Kato family and the Pon family have entered a terrible dispute. The Lords of both houses insist that only you can mediate between them. Both Lords hold you in such high regard and trust your opinion. I'm very sorry to interrupt you, but would it be possible for you to come now? I fear that bloodshed is imminent if a resolution isn't found. I have a carriage right ready to take you."

Iori closed his eyes and sighed before turning a regretful look on Ema. "I'm so sorry, Lady Ema, but this is a duty that I must fulfill."

"That's okay, Prince Iori," Ema reassured him. "It's wonderful that the nobles in Koukidan think so highly of you and have so much trust in you. Nobles and peasants should be able to trust their royalty."

Iori gave her a grateful smile for understanding. "I'm sorry you only got to see the village for a moment, but perhaps we can come again sometime. My carriage can take you back."

Ema paused for a minute before saying, "I think that I'll still stay here for a while, if that's okay." Her desire to be free from the palace for a while aside, she still needed to find Imai.

Concern flashed through Iori's eyes as he looked from Ema to the village. "I'm not sure how safe it would be for you to wander around an unfamiliar village by yourself, Lady Ema. You might get lost or in trouble and there would be no one who knew you to help you out. I would feel much better if you went back to the palace and waited until I could return with you."

"I'm sure it will be fine," Ema said firmly. "I've visited villages in Istain far more foreboding than this one." Of course, she'd always had servants with her, but Iori didn't need to know that. "Please, don't worry about me. Just go. I'll see you later, Prince Iori."

With one last concerned look at Ema, Iori turned to follow the impatient and harried servant.

Ema worried her lip as she looked at the village and wondered how to start her search. The first idea that came to her was to ask shopkeepers if any of them knew a girl around Ema's age named Imai, but then she realized that since this was a more affluent part of the village, a poor girl like Imai probably didn't frequent this area. Steeling herself, Ema walked deeper into the village.

When Ema reached the more rundown part of the village, the atmosphere seemed to change. The people went from looking at Ema curiously as they went about their business to suspiciously as they lounged around outside shops and homes. Ema thought that she really probably should have dressed down to come to the village. Someone of Ema's station definitely looked out of place here, especially in her Istain clothing. She should really think about getting some Koukidan style clothes.

Ema eventually got up the courage to enter a butcher shop with no customers. "Excuse me?" She said timidly. The butcher looked up from chopping meat for a moment to give Ema a once over. He gave a single grunt before going back to his chopping. Ema took that to be an acknowledgement of her presence and said, "I'm looking for a girl about my age named Imai. She lives with her father and doesn't have any other family. Would you know where I can find her?"

The butcher glanced at Ema again. "What's someone like you doin' lookin' 'round here for a peasant?"

"She's my friend," Ema said hoping it wasn't too much of a stretch to say so. "I know that her father was really sick and I wanted to check in with her to make sure that he's okay now."

The butcher grunted before saying, "Go down two houses and take a right, go passed two more houses and turn left, then go straight nearly to the woods and take another left."

"Thank you!" Ema exclaimed gratefully, giving a small bow of thanks. The butcher looked at Ema in shock as she hurried out of his shop, wondering if he'd imagined the noblewoman's bow.

Ema hurried down the streets, trying to keep the butcher's directions in mind. However, after fifteen minutes, Ema realized that she was lost. She tried to retrace her steps, but only ended up more confused. She didn't recognize a single thing around her. She bit her lip and wondered if Iori had been right about it being better for her to wait for someone to escort her through the village when a peasant woman with a yellow scarf covering long red hair came up to her.

"Excuse me, Lady, I think I've seen you walking this street three times now. Did you somehow lose your way from the capital?" The peasant asked with raised eyebrows.

Ema blushed. "No, I didn't. I'm trying to find my friend Imai. I got directions earlier, but I must not have followed them very well. She's a girl about my age who lives with her father. Would you happen to know her?"

"A friend?" The peasant asked, tilting her head. "My, my, I'm surprised that a Lady like you would have a peasant friend. Unless you're from the merchant class instead of the noble class?"

Ema shook her head. "I'm not merchant class, but I don't see why that should affect who my friends are. You can find people to connect with and make friends with everywhere. Can you please help me? I want to make sure that my friend and her dad are okay."

The peasant smiled. "Is that so, Lady? As it so happens, I do believe that I can help you."

"Really?" Ema asked excitedly, clasping her hands in front of her chest. "Thank you so much!"

The peasant tilted her head and regarded Ema curiously before leading her back in the direction Ema had just come from. On the way, Ema asked the peasant for her name. "Usa, Lady. My name is Usa."

"Thank you for your help, Usa. I don't know how long I would have stayed lost if you hadn't helped me. My name is Ema."

Usa merely nodded before stopping in front of a small, two room home. "I'll stay here while you go inside," she told Ema. "I doubt you'd be able to find your way out of the slums otherwise."

"Thank you," Ema said again, giving Usa a small bow. She wished that she had something to give Usa for her kindness.

The door to the home lay open and Ema knocked on the frame of the door as she peered inside. Within Ema saw a dirt floor, wood walls, a fireplace, a small table, and a rocking chair. In the center of the room lay a wash bin and kneeling beside it was Imai, who looked up and gasped in surprise when she saw Ema.

Ema immediately bowed as she said, "I'm sorry for intruding, Imai, but I've been worried about you and your father. I wanted to come by and make sure you were both okay."

"You're too kind," Imai said, a bright smile on her face as she stood up. "But I'm grateful I have the chance to thank you once again. You're cure worked and my father is doing much better. He went back to his work as a carpenter's assistant just two days ago."

"That's wonderful," Ema said, feeling relieved. "I'm so glad he's okay."

"And we're using the money you gave us very wisely," Imai assured Ema, her eyes earnest. "We've only used it for food."

"You can use it however you need to," Ema told Imai. "It's yours now, though I'm glad it's helping. I don't want to distract you from your chores any longer, but please, don't be afraid to come to me if something else happens." For half a moment Ema wondered if it was appropriate for her to offer such a thing. This wasn't her country and the people here weren't under her father's domain. Ema had no charge over them, but she quickly decided that it was best to do good wherever she could. Especially since the nobles over this village didn't seem inclined to help.

"Thank you, my Lady," Imai said with a bow. "I only wish my father were here to thank you in person as well. We're both very grateful for your help."


	6. Crown Prince

**A/N:** I apologize for the abrupt ending of the last chapter. It ended in a weird place because this chapter picks up exactly where the last one left off. Thank you to the readers who let me know they felt the chapter ended in a weird place! I'll try to make the transition between chapters like these smoother going forward

Also, to the reader waiting for Subaru, he'll show up in chapter 7.

 **Chapter 5: Crown Prince**

When Ema left Imai's home, she found Usa giving her a thoughtful look. "You know, Lady Ema, you're a very kind young woman. You remind me of another kind person that I'm aware of. Would you mind if we took a detour and I brought you to this person before leading you back to your carriage?"

"All right," Ema said uncertainly, wondering who this person might be.

Usa flashed Ema a mischievous smile before leading her almost to the other side of the village. As they passed through an alleyway, Ema began to feel the slightest bit of concern, but then Usa stopped abruptly. Ema stumbled in her attempt to not run into her.

Usa turned and gestured for Ema to step forward. Ema did and saw a dirt yard full of children and a man sitting on the ground with them. He was passing out food. Looking passed the group at the building behind them, Ema realized that it was an orphanage. Her heart hurt at the thought and she turned her attention back to the man, thinking he must be the one Usa wanted Ema to meet. As Ema studied him, her eyes widened. She recognized his face. Louis had pointed him out to her last night at the banquet. It was the crown prince. Ema spun around to say something to Usa, only to discover that the woman was gone.

Ema furrowed her brow, wondering where Usa had gone, then turned her attention back to the crowd in front of her. A homely woman who Ema assumed worked for the orphanage came outside with a smile. "The bandages you ordered just arrived, Masa." She handed them to him and thanked him for coming again today before turning and going back inside.

Ema watched the scene in disbelief. The woman obviously had no idea she had just spoken to the crown prince of Koukidan. And she thanked him for coming _again_. How often did the crown prince come to the village to look after orphans?

Masaomi began using the bandages to bind up scrapes and other orphans starting crying, "Masa! Masa! We want your help!"

With a small crowd already around him, the crown prince looked a little overwhelmed.

"I want his help first!" A little girl cried.

"No, I'm next," a boy said, pushing the girl.

Masaomi held up one hand saying, "Wait, Makoto, I promise I'll get to all of you," but he was too far away to stop the scuffle. Ema unconsciously stepped forward out of the alleyway. She blushed when Masaomi looked at her in surprise and the children turned to stare at her as well, but there was no point in her stepping back now. "Let me help," she said, taking some of the bandages from him.

"Is it all right if I take care of your cuts?" Ema asked Makoto and the girl who had been crying for Masaomi's attention, kneeling down next to them.

The girl pouted and threw a beseeching look at Masaomi before quietly saying, "Okay, I guess." Makoto nodded silently, looking even more depressed than the girl.

"Thank you!" Ema said, smiling brightly. The children both blinked at the sight of the bright smile, surprised to be _thanked_ for letting someone help them. "Now let me see where you're hurt." The girl obligingly held out her arm to show Ema cuts along her forearms. "How did you all get hurt?" Ema asked as she gently wrapped a bandage around the girl's arm.

"The glass roof of the sunroom broke!" The girl exclaimed, happy to have someone new to tell the story to. "And everyone who was inside got hurt. There was glass _everywhere_."

"That's terrible!" Ema exclaimed. "Why did it break?"

"Because it was cheap!" Makoto declared, proud to have an answer. "Some noble gave us the glass for the sunroom, but he just wanted to impress people at the palace and pretend like he was nice. He doesn't care about us at all. But Masa does! When he heard about what happened, he ordered for bandages to be brought. And he brought food, but he always brings food."

"I see," Ema said, finishing up with the girls arm. "Let me see you know, Makoto." Makoto sat down in front of Ema, showing her the cuts on the back of his arms and his neck. "Why are your cuts in such different places?" Ema asked as she started with Masoto's neck, dabbing at a few spots of blood that had dripped onto his shirt.

"Because I was protecting some of the other kids," Makoto said proudly, puffing out his chest. "Masa says that we need to look out for each other. Keiko just covered her head, but I covered other people."

"There wasn't anyone by me!" Keiko, the little girl declared. "I was in a corner by myself."

"That's amazing," Ema told Makoto. "I don't know if I've ever met a kid as brave as you before." She gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder when she finished bandaging his cuts and he turned to give her a big smile.

"Thanks, lady!" He said before jumping up and running off to play with friends. A few more children came up to Ema then and she helped them out, gently bandaging their injuries and softly asking them about their names and their favorite activities.

When the last child jumped up from Ema's lap, a hand entered her field of vision and she looked up to see Masaomi standing there, holding his hand down to help her to her feet.

"Thank you for your help," he told her as she stood. "It can get a little tough to handle them when they all want my attention at the same time. May I ask for your name?"

Ema hesitated, not wanting to reveal that she knew he was the crown prince, but said, "Ema Hinata."

Masaomi's eyes widened and he looked around nervously before leaning in and murmuring, "Please don't tell anyone who I am."

Ema tilted her head as she studied the crown prince. "Why don't you want your people knowing how much you care for them? Wouldn't it be a good thing for them to know that it's you?"

"Let's have this conversation somewhere else," Masaomi said, taking Ema's hand. He turned to the playing children and waved. "Bye everyone, I'll be back to visit you all soon!" An outcry of protests came from the children, but Masaomi hurried Ema away from the orphanage, telling the children that he would miss them.

Ema stared at Masaomi's hand holding hers as they walked down the street and quietly said, "Um, Prince Masaomi, could you—"

"Shhhh," Masaomi, said, putting a finger to his lips. "Just call me Masa here, okay?" His eyes were full of worry until he looked down at their interlocked hands. He blushed and quickly let go. "I'm so sorry!" He exclaimed. "I didn't mean to keep holding your hand."

Ema had to bite her lip to stop herself from giggling. The crown prince's reaction was so adorable. And created such a contrast to his brothers. Iori, though polite, seemed completely confident holding a women's hand. Louis as well had had no trouble taking Ema's hand and leading her around, though his feeling was merely one of comfort and friendship. While the twins seemed much too comfortable with physical contact with the opposite sex.

"It's okay," Ema assured him. "But you were going to answer my question about why you're hiding."

"Right," Masaomi said as he stared at the street while they walked, a blush still covering his cheeks. "I don't want people to know that I visit the villages of Koukidan _because_ of who I am." He spoke softly so that no one would overhear him. "As the next ruler of this country, it's my duty to know and care for my people, not to seek glory for doing it. Like the nobleman who donated the sunroom to the orphanage. What's important is that the people are taken care of, not that they know who's doing the caring. Most people in the village believe I'm a merchant of moderate means."

Ema stared at Masaomi in stunned amazement. In her country, she knew many nobles who did far less than the crown prince was doing and expected great praise for it. There were exceptions, of course, but many seemed to perform charitable deeds only for the purpose of impressing others with their generosity Here was the crown prince of a far bigger nation, and he wanted no recognition whatsoever. He just wanted to do what was best for his people.

Ema looked off in the distance as she said, "I love Istain, but the current ruling family and nobility contain many tyrannical and capricious people. They levy heavy taxes and give few freedoms. I believe that our old king never named his successor because he didn't want to deal with his sons fighting and didn't care what burden a battle for the throne might lay upon the people after his death. It's a comfort to see someone like you who will take the throne and care for his people rather than see them as tools to further his own gain."

Masaomi shook his head. "You're giving me too much credit, Lady Ema. I'm not doing anything grand like you're making my actions out to be. I'm just trying to do what I feel is right."

"But it _is_ grand," Ema argued. "I wish that I had a king just like you, Masa. That's what everyone deserves."

Masaomi blushed, glancing at Ema before looking away. " _You_ are very kind, Lady Ema, even growing up around the corrupt ruling class of Istain. All that I want to do is take care of the people of Koukidan, but I'm terrible at politics and I'm sure I'll make a bad ruler because of it. My brother Ukyo is always scolding me. Ukyo is much better at politics and would make a more responsible king. I've heard many of my mother's advisor say so."

Ema sighed. "I suppose that advisors to a queen might know more than me, but I disagree. I don't think that being good at politics makes someone a good ruler. Some of the most terrible nobles I knew in Istain are considered brilliant politicians." Realizing what she'd just said, Ema hurried to add, "Though I'm sure that Prince Ukyo isn't like that. I didn't mean to insinuate anything bad about him."

Masaomi chuckled. "I didn't think that you did, Lady Ema. You were just talking about your own experiences. I'm sorry for unloading my worries onto you so suddenly, I just find you easy to talk to."

"I don't mind," Ema said, hoping the crown prince didn't regret speaking openly with a foreigner. "And I'm very happy that I was able to help you with those orphans today. Keiko and Masato were so cute. I'd love to see them again." They walked a few more steps when Ema's eyes widened in horror and she said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound arrogant like that, assuming that you would be okay with me tagging along again. I—"

"Please don't apologize," Masaomi interrupted. "I'd love to have you come with me to the village again. The children liked you and I'm sure they'd be happy to see you again. And I know I would appreciate the help. Not that I want you to feel any pressure to come along with me."

"I would love to come back to the village with you. I…feel a little stifled staying in the palace all the time. I prefer to be out among the people when I can be." _Even if this isn't my own country,_ Ema added silently.

~.~

Rintaro stood within a darkened room, the windows bordered up and the only light coming from four candle sticks on a wooden table in the center of the room. Around the room stood or sat representatives from the more pragmatic and responsible families of Istain's nobility and military.

"What you're talking about is treason, Commander Rao," Lord Urie said quietly.

"How?" Commander Rao demanded. "I am proposing that we put the _true_ heir of Istain on the throne. Yes, the twin princes will certainly consider our actions treasonous, but only because the right course of action will take the throne away from the two of them. You know that either of them would be a disaster on the throne. Both of them have all their father's vices, and none of his good qualities."

"And how do we know you're not just chasing after fairy tales?" Lord Kai questioned. "I've heard the rumors that when the king's older sister, Queen Mai, died in childbirth that the child survived, but I find it very unlikely. Everyone who believes the child didn't die with the Queen knows that as soon as her brother took the throne, he would have had the child killed to ensure his right to rule Istain. What we need to do is look for a real solution to our problem, Commander."

Lord Urie clenched his fists nervously, looking around the room until his eyes fell on Rintaro. "And what do you think of all this, Ambassador? You were the closest of all the nobles to Queen Mai before she died. Do you believe the child survived?"

Rintaro looked uncomfortable as all eyes in the room turned to him. "There was an effort made by those loyal to the Queen to get her child out of the palace the moment Queen Mai died to protect the child from the Queen's brother, but that was years ago. If the child is still alive, they wouldn't have been raised to be rule over a country. Should we take the time to search for a ghost who may be unfit to take the crown?"


	7. Two-Faced Prince

**Chapter 6: Two-Faced Prince**

"Thank you, Lady Ema," an old man missing several teeth said, smiling up at her. "My aches get so terrible this time of year when it rains. These herbs really help."

"I'm glad," Ema said, returning his smile. "Just don't forgot to soak them in hot water first, okay?" He nodded and Ema moved on to the next patient. She was visiting the village with Masaomi to distribute medicine to the elderly. The elderly in the village liked to gather once a month to play shogi and gossip. Masaomi liked to use that time to bring them medicine.

"You're always such a dear, Masa," an old woman said, gently patting Masaomi's cheek. "If I was a few years younger you'd have to beat me off with a stick."

Masaomi smiled. "I'd never do that, Lumi, but thank you for the compliment." Ema loved watching the crown prince with the people of Koukidan. He so obviously cared for them and it broke her heart that the people had no idea it was their future king taking such wonderful care of them, but Masaomi insisted it was best that his actions remain anonymous. Ema presented herself truthfully as Lady Ema from Istain since she'd already been seen walking around the village in her fancy clothing and since Imai knew that she was a lady.

"I have to go now," Masaomi said, looking up at the position of the sun. "I'm sorry to leave you, but I promised Ukyo I would attend this meeting."

"I understand," Ema assured Masaomi. She had yet to meet Prince Ukyo personally, so everything she knew of him came from Masaomi, but he sounded like a very strict person. Ukyo always looked so serious whenever Ema saw him around the palace and he seemed to hold himself and everyone around him to high standards. Ema knew Ukyo would be very upset with Masaomi if he was late. "There's no need for you to apologize, Masa. I'll finish things here."

Ema thought about how much respect Masaomi held for Ukyo as she watched him walk away. She hoped that Ukyo knew how highly his older brother thought of him. And that Ukyo respected Masaomi as well, though from everything Masaomi said, it didn't sound like Ukyo did.

Ema hummed as she picked up the leftover herbs a few minutes later as the elders went about their gossiping. From outside the meeting hall, Ema heard excited cries. Curious, she went to the door and peered outside. To her surprise, Prince Fuuto was getting out of a carriage with another young nobleman. The excited crowd reminded Ema of when she'd came to the village with Iori. It seemed both nobles and peasants loved Fuuto, just like with his brother Iori.

Ema wondered if Iori and Fuuto were similar in disposition as she watched Fuuto since they were both so universally popular, though from the little she'd seen of Fuuto, he didn't seem to have the same gentle quality as Iori. Regardless, Ema hoped she'd get the opportunity to know Fuuto better. They did live in the same home, after all.

Fuuto's eye met Ema's and widened in surprise. Ema waved shyly at him, but his gaze quickly moved on. Ema's brow furrowed as she wondered why. He'd definitely seemed to recognize Ema, so why hadn't he acknowledged her?

~.~

Ema was surprised when she saw Fuuto walking in the palace alone that evening. She'd never seen him by himself before.

"Good evening, Prince Fuuto," Ema said, curtsying. "I was surprised to see you at the village earlier today. What business did you have down there?"

Fuuto sneered as he looked Ema up and down. "What exactly are you hoping to gain from all this?" He asked.

"I—I'm sorry," Ema stuttered, confused. "Gain from what?"

"Please," Fuuto said, rolling his eyes. "Don't get conceited just because the Queen invited you to come to Koukidan. Honestly, living at the palace, going out and helping the villagers. Are you hoping that if you ingratiate yourself enough with Koukidan that you'll be allowed to stay here if things go bad in Istain?"

"I wasn't thinking that way at all," Ema said, shaking her head. "I didn't have the intention of helping people when I first went to the village, it just turned out that way." Fuuto simply rolled his eyes and walked away. Ema bit her lip as she watched him leave. Fuuto seemed so nice to everyone else. Had she done something to offend him, or did he hate people from Istain? Ema wished she could figure where she stood as a guest in the palace. All these princes and their varying attitudes seemed to keep her perpetually off balance. Only in the village with Masaomi did she feel normal. It reminded her of helping the peasants under her father's domain back home.

~.~

A few days later, Ema was walking the palace grounds in the evening when she thought she heard something. She paused, straining her ear to figure out where the sound was coming from. The sound seemed to be coming from deeper in the gardens and Ema carefully followed it, trying to keep her footsteps light so she could focus on the noise.

As Ema drew closer, she made out that it was singing. She paused again when she got close enough to make out the words. The voice was lovely and the song was about feeling trapped. Entranced by the voice and the song, Ema slowly moved around a tall hedge. On the other side, Ema found that the hedge went around in almost a complete square to create a little room with flowering rose bushes and a bench. On the bench sat Fuuto. He was the one singing.

Fuuto's eyes darkened when he saw Ema and he stood up angrily. "What are you doing here, Foreigner? Can't you at least respect another person's privacy?"

"I'm sorry," Ema apologized, surprised at the level of Fuuto's anger, "but…why don't you sing in public, Prince Fuuto?"

"What?" Fuuto asked.

"Why don't you ever sing in public?" Ema had already been to multiple events at the palace, some of them showcasing the talents of nobles, who played instruments or recited poetry to entertain the court.

"I'm a prince," Fuuto said, looking at Ema like she was slow. "Princes don't sing."

"Why not? You're so talented, Prince Fuuto. Why should you hide that?"

"You really are an idiot who doesn't understand anything, aren't you?" Fuuto asked, tilting his head as he studied Ema. "Are all women in Istain this foolish?"

Ema flinched at the insult. "Maybe I still don't understand a lot about Koukidan yet, but why is it stupid for me to think that you should sing when you looked so happy doing it? I've never seen you look like you did when you were singing just now. You seemed so content."

Fuuto paused for a moment, surprised by Ema's words. Content was not a word Fuuto would use to describe himself. Then Fuuto smirked and asked, "Do you always pay so much attention to me, Lady Ema? It seems you must if you're so confident that I don't normally have a content expression."

Ema blushed and shook her head. "No, I didn't mean it like that, Prince Fuuto." Ema tried to think of something else to say to make the conversation less awkward for her when she remembered her thoughts after speaking with Fuuto in the hall a few days ago. "I seem to be the only person you don't like in the capital. I wanted to say that I'm sorry if I've done something to offend you, Prince Fuuto."

Fuuto blinked once at Ema before laughing so hard he sat back down onto the bench. Ema watched him in bewilderment, wondering what she'd said that he thought was so funny.

When he finally stopped laughing, he stared at Ema as he lounged against the back of the bench and crossed his legs. "Since you said something nice to me about my singing, I'll say something truthful to you—I _don't_ like anyone. Not the sycophant courtiers who follow me around, not the dirty peasants who live in the villages complaining about their lot in life, and not the servants of the palace who kowtow to our faces and then gossip about everyone behind their backs."

Ema stared at Fuuto in shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, but he seemed so open…and so much more relaxed then when she saw him surrounded by nobles.

"The way that I treat everyone is an act," Fuuto explained, then smirked again. "I can be honest around you because you don't belong here and are insignificant. Nobody would believe you if you repeated what I'd just told you. Well, my brothers would, but they _want_ everyone to believe the lies that I show to the world."

Fuuto's words hurt Ema, but she realized that there _was_ another similarity between Fuuto and Iori. Both seemed to feel trapped by the expectations others held for them. Ema wondered if the song she'd heard Fuuto singing was about himself. "It must be hard for you to feel like you have to always hide who you are in front of everyone and not be able to sing openly. If you feel like you can be honest around me and that makes you feel a little better, than I'm happy about that."

Ema was about to leave when she added, "I won't tell anyone what you told me, Prince Fuuto." Ema bowed and then left.

Fuuto stared in shock at the spot where Ema had been. His mind kept telling him that he must have dreamed that whole scenario because people like that did _not_ exist. What kind of person would willingly submit to Fuuto's acerbic tongue just because they believed it would make him feel better? Unless this was just another ploy of Ema's to ingratiate herself at the palace but…to be frank, something about her just seemed too stupid and naïve to be able to pull something like that off.

Perhaps Fuuto needed to start paying more attention to the Ambassador's daughter so he could figure her out…or he could just go find someone who he knew would already have the answers he wanted.

~.~

Hikaru walked into his bedroom, then paused and tilted his head as he studied his second youngest brother lounging in the middle of his bed.

"Something I can help you with?" Hikaru asked raising one eyebrow.

"You keep late hours," Fuuto informed Hikaru, seeming completely unconcerned about invading Hikaru's bedroom.

"People are more open with their secrets at night when they think others have gone to bed and aren't around to hear them. Night is also when people get drunk and don't watch their words," Hikaru said with a careless shrug.

"Mom should fire you as a prince and make you her head spy instead," Fuuto said as he watched Hikaru brush his long hair.

Hikaru smiled mischievously at Fuuto. "Who's to say I'm not already?"

Fuuto stared at his older brother, keeping his face blank. He hated admitting ignorance in anything, but he didn't pay enough attention to his brothers to know if Hikaru really _was_ a spy for the Queen. It was certainly possible with all that Hikaru knew. Surely he was reporting at least some of his information to _someone._ What would be the point in Hikaru keeping all of it to himself?

"Speaking of spying," Fuuto said, keeping his tone casual, "I'm assuming you already know everything you need to about Mom's special guest? You know, like whether she's really an assassin or a plant sent by one of the idiot twin princes of Istain?"

Hikaru put the brush down and crossed his arms to stare at Fuuto, wondering why Fuuto was suddenly asking about the palace's newest resident. As Hikaru stood in silence, Fuuto kept his gaze on Hikaru's ceiling, though he eventually looked at his older brother as Hikaru kept silent. "What?" Fuuto demanded. "I'm not allowed to know? Or you just think it's impossible for me to be concerned about the security of the palace?"

"If you _actually_ believed you were in danger, I'm sure you would be concerned about the security of the palace," Hikaru said, smirking as he walked to his bed and stared down at his little brother. "You're not here because you're worried Lady Ema is a spy; you're here because you want to know if she's genuine. I hate to ruin you're pessimistic habit of thinking the worst of everyone, but yes, Lady Ema _is_ actually that nice. Her caring for the peasants and the servants is real, as are any attempts for friendship she may have made towards you."

Fuuto gave Hikaru an unimpressed look and Hikaru's smile widened. "Did my use of the word friendship bother you, little brother? Is it possible this delicate young maiden has actually warmed your cynical heart?"

"Don't be ludicrous," Fuuto said, rolling out of Hikaru's bed and walking away. "Her helpful and cheerful attitude pisses me off. Like you said, I just wanted to know if she was another sycophant noble, but, apparently, she's too stupid to even be that."

The smile on Hikaru's face stayed long after Fuuto left. He hadn't expected the addition of the Ambassador's daughter to the palace to be _nearly_ this entertaining. He'd known (as had everyone else) that Yusuke still had his boringly predictable crush on Ema, and Hikaru had figured the twins would want to play with her (she was a foreigner and therefore exotic, which of course would catch Tsubaki's attention). Louis and Wataru befriending Ema wasn't a surprise. They were two of the most innocent and kind of Koukidan's princes, after all.

What Hikaru _hadn't_ expected was for Masaomi and Ema to become such good friends so quickly. Admittedly, Hikaru himself had pushed the two together, but they seemed to hold the same dream of making life better for peasants. Hikaru also hadn't expected Iori to be so intrigued with her. And now Fuuto was becoming interested.

He couldn't wait to see what effect Lady Ema had on his brothers next.

 **A/N:** I'm happy to announce there will be a second update this week! Though I'm not sure when.


	8. Knight

**Chapter 7: Knight**

"Lady Ema!" A voice called. "Lady Ema!"

Ema turned to see an excited Yusuke quickly walking down the palace hall towards her. "Subaru is coming home!" He told her as he got close, a jubilant smile on his face.

"Subaru?" Ema asked, tilting her head. "Oh! Prince Subaru?"

"Yep! Subaru is one of the strongest knights in the kingdom. He's coming home to report to our mom about the battles between Koukidan and Losa over the borderline between our two countries. Losa has been making a grab for our land in recent months and Subaru and his men have been pushing them back."

Ema smiled at Yusuke's obvious excitement. "You're so happy about him visiting home. Are you two close?"

Yusuke blushed and scratched the back of his head. "Subaru is the coolest of all my brothers. Most of them are lame, but Subaru is strong and good and honest. That's why I'm excited for you to meet him. Some of my brothers have probably given you a bad idea of what the princes of Koukidan are like, but Subaru is amazing. I want to follow in his footsteps."

Ema tried to bring up a picture of Subaru as Yusuke talked about him. She had met him at least once before when they were younger. Subaru had saved Ema from nobles who were bullying her about being Istainian. He hadn't really said anything to Ema afterwards, merely yelling at the bullies and then leaving after they all ran away.

Ema was happy at the thought of being able to see him again, though he probably didn't even remember saving Ema since it had happened so long ago and it was the only time they'd interacted. Ema couldn't even remember what Subaru looked like. Still, it had meant a lot to her. She'd been amazed to see a young prince stand up to a crowd like that. She could understand why Yusuke admired him so much.

Ema felt a presence come up behind her before a familiar voice said, "You'll never become Subaru no matter how hard you work, so you should just give up now." Ema turned her head to see Tsubaki standing behind her. She blushed when he stepped forward, sliding his arms around her waist. "You should also stop bothering Lady Ema with your silly dreams. She has better ways to spend her time than to listen to a daydreaming prince."

Yusuke's hands curled into fists as he glared at his older brother. " _You're_ the one bothering Lady Ema. Let her go."

"I'm not bothering her," Tsubaki argued. "You're just too young to understand relations between men and women. You'll understand when you're older. Maybe."

Yusuke's face flamed bright red. "I understand enough to know that Lady Ema should be treated with respect, which isn't how you and Azusa treat anyone. Besides, Subaru will be home soon and Lady Ema still needs to meet him, so just leave her alone." He crossed his arms and glared at Tsubaki, standing his ground. He wouldn't let Tsubaki make him give up or make a fool of him. Especially not in front of Ema.

Tsubaki raised his eyebrows as he looked at his little brother, surprised that Yusuke wasn't backing down. Conversations between Tsubaki and Yusuke usually entailed Tsubaki teasing Yusuke until Yusuke devolved into a fit of yelling before stomping away in anger. Shrugging off Yusuke's strange behavior and deciding to let him win for now, Tsubaki leaned down to brush his lips against Ema's ear and murmured, "Azusa and I miss you. You're welcome to come visit us anytime."

Ema blushed and ducked her head.

"What did you just say to her?" Yusuke demanded as Tsubaki chuckled and walked away. "You-you jerk, just leave and don't come back! You're nothing but a flirt and a nuisance!" Tsubaki waved a mocking hand in farewell.

"Do you know when Prince Subaru will arrive?" Ema asked Yusuke, hoping that would calm him down. He still stood glaring after Tsubaki, his hands clenched into fists.

Yusuke turned to Ema, looking embarrassed. "I'm not really sure when he'll get here. It'll probably be some time after lunch and before dinner though. I guess I didn't need to come find and tell you so early."

"I'm glad you did," Ema assured Yusuke, not wanting him to feel foolish. "I'm excited to meet him. There's still a few of the princes of Koukidan I haven't met yet, but I would like to get to know all of you if I can."

~.~

Shortly after lunch Ema was walking the halls of the palace in an area she didn't normally wander around. She'd made a habit of taking time each week to walk around the palace to familiarize herself with it so she could minimize the amount of times she got lost. Wataru often accompanied Ema on these walks, but Ema was by herself this time.

Yusuke had seemed to want Ema to stay with him until Subaru arrived, but he hadn't seen his brother in a long time and was so excited that Ema was sure he'd want to spend some time alone with Subaru. She hadn't wanted to intrude on that, or to bombard Subaru with meeting a new guest at the castle after he'd been away for so long. He'd probably want to rest when he first arrived. Or maybe report to the Queen since that _was_ the reason for his return.

When Ema passed by the infirmary, she stopped and backed up. Sitting on the table was a dark-haired soldier waiting for care. He'd removed a bandage from his shoulder and fresh blood trickled down his arm. Ema gasped and ran in, horrified that no one was there helping the soldier. She wondered if he'd traveled here with Prince Subaru.

"Let me help you," Ema cried, looking around for bandages and herbs to prevent infection. She'd been shown around the infirmary once two weeks ago by Iori and she was sure she could find everything she needed.

The soldier looked down his nose at her as she grabbed bandages and rifled through an herb cabinet. "I'm sure the healer only left for lunch or something and will come back soon," he said. "A noblewoman wouldn't know what to do anyway." He protectively covered his injury, as though Ema might make it worse. "There's no need for you to trouble yourself."

Ema put her hands on her hips as she considered the young man. He didn't look much older than her, but likely coming from a lower class, he was probably tired of nobles ordering him around. Ema turned and picked up the herbs and bandages before walking over to him and gently removing the hand covering his wound.

"I promise you that I treated plenty of minor wounds back in my country," she said as pressed the herbs to the wound. "I often helped servants harmed by the aristocracy's selfishness and carelessness and I liked to aid the peasants in my father's domain when I could."

The soldier stared down at Ema's head in surprise as she worked on his shoulder. "Where are you from?" He asked.

"Istain," she answered quietly. "The people aren't treated very well in many territories there. The nobility and royalty think that only they matter. That only their desires and wishes are important and that others exist merely to fulfill those wishes and desires. I heard one Lord's son claim that if servants mattered, they would have been born into better families."

"I'm impressed that a noblewoman would learn something like this and do it for others," he admitted. "I've never heard of any noble lady who learned the healing arts." He wished she would turn her head so he could see her face again. He hadn't really been paying attention before. The Lady, whoever she was, was gentler than any healer who had ever treated his wounds.

Ema shrugged, wishing it _wasn't_ odd for a noble lady to know a skill like this, but knowing that the soldier was right. "I was powerless to protect them," she said. "I couldn't make the aristocracy stop or change their actions, but at least I could help the servants afterwards. I'm not sure even that wasn't good enough, though."

Ema straightened as she finished with the bandage and looked the soldier in the eye. "Regardless, I feel like it's important to learn everyday skills and understand what everyday life is really like for others. The aristocracy is supposed to protect and serve the people. You can't care for them if you don't understand them." She gave him a friendly smile. "Not every noble and royal you meet is completely useless."

The healer walked in the next moment and his eyes widened in surprise. "Welcome home, Prince Subaru," he said, bowing deeply.

Ema blushed and jumped back from the soldier who was apparently the knight prince. "I-I'm so sorry," she said. "I spoke so carelessly and freely in front of you. I was even arrogant and insisted I treat your wound when you asked me not to. Please forgive me for any offense, Prince Subaru."

"No, please don't apologize," Subaru said, holding a calming hand out to her, looking upset. "I'm happy you spoke freely to me. And I got treated sooner thanks to your kindness. I'm glad that you insisted. I was the one being judgmental because of your station, believing that you would know nothing about treating wounds. Please, forgive me."

Ema stared at him in surprise, wondering why a prince would be judgmental over someone being from the noble class.

Subaru blushed and looked at the ground. "You're not like any other woman I've ever met. I agree with everything you said, that's part of why I spend so much time out with my men, the knights that I lead. Most of them are just average citizens. They don't have the same selfishness and entitlement that so many of the noble class have." He stood and Ema had to lean her head back to still look into his eyes. "Thank you again for treating me."

The healer stood awkwardly to the side as the two of them talked, trying to make himself invisible and wishing that he'd waited a few more minutes before returning from lunch. Ema and Subaru glanced at him before moving into the hall.

Ema played with her sleeve, too embarrassed to look at Subaru as she confessed, "You saved me once when we were little. There were some older children of nobles who were angry that someone from Istain was in the palace by herself. You made them stop bullying me and scared them away." She smiled shyly. "I'm glad I was able to do something to repay the favor."

Subaru's heart thumped at the sight of her smile. He wanted to spend the time to get to know this woman and regretted that he'd be leaving soon. This was a woman who was worth protecting.

She smiled again and bowed before starting to walk away. At that point, Subaru realized that he still didn't know who she was or why she was there. "Wait," Subaru called, reaching a hand towards her. "I didn't get your name."

"Oh!" Ema exclaimed, blushing and holding a hand to her lips. "I'm so sorry. I'm Lady Ema Rintaro, the daughter of ambassador Rintaro."

"Are you visiting with your father?" He asked, his brow furrowing.

"No," Ema said shaking her head sadly. "I guess that you might not know since you've been stationed at the border by Losa, but the king of Istain recently died. Now there's a dispute over the throne between the twin princes. Queen Miwa graciously offered to house me until things settle down."

"So you'll be here for a while?" He asked.

"I don't know," Ema said. "I hope not."

"Right," Subaru said, feeling depressed as he watched Ema walk away. Of course she wouldn't want to stay here long, she was only here because it might be dangerous for her in Istain. She probably hoped that things would get resolved quickly for the sake of the people in Istain. As Subaru watched Ema turn a corner, he determined that that simply meant that he needed to finish the business with Losa and the border skirmishes as soon as possible. That way, he could hopefully see Ema again before she left.

~.~

"Prince Yusuke," Ema called when she saw him standing on one of the terraces the next night.

He turned his gaze from the sky to her, looking happy to see her, then disappointed. "You missed seeing Subaru," he said. "He'll have to leave before dawn tomorrow morning."

Ema shook her head. "I _did_ get to meet Prince Subaru. I met him the first day he got back," Ema informed him. "And it's easy to see why you admire him so much. He seems like a very great man. I bet that the knights who serve under him love him."

Yusuke swelled with pride hearing Ema talk that way about Subaru as he watched her lean against the banister and gaze up at the night sky.

"I wish that more of the aristocracy were like him. He seems so grounded."

Yusuke then felt a swell of depression well up in him as Ema continued to compliment Subaru. Why hadn't he thought about the possibility of Ema falling for Subaru? He was such a great man, any smart woman would like him. He shouldn't have been so eager for Subaru and Ema to meet.

"But," Ema began, smiling and turning to look at Yusuke, "even though he's a great man and a good role model, you don't have to be like him to be a great man yourself, Prince Yusuke. You should find your own path to become the kind of man you want to be."

Yusuke blushed at Ema's words as she turned to look at the sky again. "I-I will," he promised. If Ema believed that he could become a great man and that he could do it following his own path, then he believed it to. And didn't her believing in him mean that he still had a chance with her? He smiled as he watched Ema stare up at the night sky, grateful to have Ema at the palace.


	9. Advisor

**Chapter 8: Advisor**

"Excuse me, Lady Ema?" A tentative voice asked.

Ema was sitting on a bench in the gardens and turned to see a young nobleman she hadn't met before, though she might have seen him at banquets. "Yes?" She responded curiously. The nobles rarely talked to her. The main interaction she got from nobles was glares when she was with any of the princes and snide comments from noble ladies the moment the prince left her side.

"Is it okay if I sit down?" He asked.

"Of course," Ema said, scooting over and watching him a little warily.

"I am Lord Natsu Oniguno. I've wanted to talk to you for a while. You see, while my father is a Lord in Koukidan, my mother is from Istain."

"You're half Istainian?" Ema asked in excitement. This was the first person she'd come across in Koukidan with ties to her country.

"Yes," he said, smiling at her excitement. "There aren't many with Istainian blood around here, are there?"

"No," Ema said sadly, staring at her hands in her lap. "Relations between Koukidan and Istain are friendly enough, but it seems that since the trouble started in Istain nobles are staying within the country."

"Yes," Nastu agreed with a sad sigh. "Everyone seems involved in taking sides in the conflict or holing themselves up in their estates and holding their breaths until the next king is decided."

"Do you know what's going on in Istain?" Ema asked desperately. "I've heard such little news." She wrote to her father every week, but his return letters were fewer and never told her anything about the state of affairs in Istain. She knew he just wanted to protect her, but she found it very frustrating.

"I know some," Natsu admitted. "My cousin from Istain regularly comes to visit me. He said that all the old king's advisors meet and argue about which prince is the rightful heir to the throne. Important nobles are often invited to the capital to speak with the advisors and they argue in favor of one prince or another. It sounds like chaos if you ask me."

"It does," Ema agreed, wishing for the hundredth time that the deceased king had worried more over his people and less over upsetting his sons.

Natsu sighed heavily and leaned against the back of the bench. He glanced at Ema out of the corner of his eye. "Which of the twin princes do you and your father support?" He asked.

Ema shrugged and looked down at her hands again. "I didn't spend much time around them, so I don't know either of them well enough to judge what sort of a ruler they would make, and my father preferred not to talk about politics much with me. I know that he's working to help stabilize the political situation in Istain, but I'm not sure who he feels would make the best ruler."

Natsu nodded. "Lord Rintaro did seem to be very protective of you. I know he rarely brought you to court. I suppose he wanted to shield you from court machinations." He turned towards Ema and gazed at her earnestly. "You may not know much about the princes, but my family feels very strongly that the younger of the princes would make a better king. The older is very impulsive, but the younger takes the time to think things through."

"I see," Ema said slowly, not sure what response Natsu was looking for. Ema meant it when she said she had no idea which of the princes would make a better king. She knew the twins well enough to tell them apart, but that was it. Her father had never liked taking Ema to the capital.

"Lady Ema," a soft voice called before a redheaded servant appeared in front of the bench.

"Lesa!" Ema exclaimed in excitement. Lesa smiled at Ema, though kept her head down demurely. Ema had noticed that Lesa did that whenever she was in front of nobles other than Ema. "This is my friend Lesa," Ema introduced, turning to Natsu.

"Friend?" Natsu asked, staring at Lesa with an indecipherable expression.

"Yes," Ema said firmly.

Natsu's eyes widened and he hurriedly turned to Ema. "That's wonderful," he said. "I mean—I was just surprised—" He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. "You seem to spend so little time with the nobles here in Koukidan other than a few of the princes. Please, seek me out at the next banquet. I'd love to introduce you to the friends I've made here."

Ema nodded politely, but rather than respond to him turned to Lesa and asked, "Was there something you needed from me?"

Lesa smiled. "A letter just arrived from your father, Lady Ema. I thought you might want to know."

Ema gasped and jumped to her feet. "Excuse me, Lord Natsu," she said, giving him a nod. "Thank you for letting me know, Lesa!" Ema said happily before hurrying away.

Lesa bowed her head to Lord Natsu before walking back into the castle. She walked purposefully to the quarters of one of the princes and gave a perfunctory knock before walking inside.

"Well?" The prince asked, not bothering to look up from the document he was writing.

"It seems the Oniguno family supports the younger of the twin princes of Istain for king," the redhead said. "And Lord Natsu is hoping to either gauge Ambassador Rintaro's position on the matter from Lady Ema or convince Lady Ema that she and her father should also support the younger prince."

"And?" Ukyo asked, adjusting his glasses and turning to look at his guest.

"She doesn't know anything," the redhead answered with a shrug. "Ambassador Rintaro kept her out of politics. He wanted to shield his daughter."

Ukyo scoffed and turned back to his writing. "So she's useless then."

"You have a very small frame of view if you think that," his guest said somewhat sharply.

Ukyo waved a careless hand in the air. "I meant for political information. We'll learn nothing about the state of Istain's political condition from her, or about the Ambassador's current actions."

After several moments of silence, Ukyo turned again to find himself being stared at. "What?" He demanded. "Was there something else you wanted to tell me?"

"You haven't spoken to her yet."

"And?" Ukyo asked. "Am I going to be shocked by her political insights? Or her grasp of the precarious situation which Istain is in? Perhaps she'll regal me with tales of the political and economic differences between Istain and Koukidan."

"My poor, foolish brother," the redhead chastised. "You're so caught up in politics that you're missing what's right in front of you. How I pity what you've become."

Ukyo glared. "Masaomi won't give governing the country the attention that it needs, so _I_ have to. As his advisor, I'm the one who has to make up for his faults."

"Please," Hikaru said, flipping his long hair over his shoulder. "You wouldn't know half the things you do without me and my network. Don't act like some kind of martyr sacrificing himself for the sake of Koukidan." He swept forward and took a tray with an empty tea cup off Ukyo desk before exiting the room, taking care to make his posture submissive before walking out.

~.~

Ukyo was walking down the hall on the way to meet with some of his mother's advisors when he saw Ema approaching from the opposite direction. He ran a critical eye over her more modest Istain clothing and decided he should at least make a token effort to be kind to her since the Queen had been so insistent upon it. He did not understand why his mother brought Ema here and put such an emphasis on Ema being a special guest that all the princes should befriend. Nor did he understand Hikaru's surprising protectiveness towards the girl. It was rare to see Hikaru do anything like that.

"Good morning, Lady Ema," he said when she came closer. "We haven't been formally introduced yet, but I am Prince Ukyo."

"Good morning, Prince Ukyo," Ema said, smiling as she gave a small curtsey. "I'm happy I finally got to meet you." She paused for a moment, looking unsure, then a determined glint shone in her eye and she took a step forward. "The crown prince speaks so highly of you and your abilities. He says that you understand politics inside and out and is grateful to have you by his side."

"That's very kind of my brother to say," Ukyo said, trying to hide his surprise that Masaomi had told this girl these things. He had never even seen the two of them talking to each other. When had Masaomi befriended the Ambassador's daughter?

"It sounds like you do wonderful things for Koukidan's sake," Ema continued, "but I think that you should appreciate and value what Prince Masaomi does for Koukidan's sake as well. I'm sure that he would have more confidence in his role as crown prince if you supported him. Your opinion means a lot to him."

Ukyo blinked, the only outward appearance of his astonishment. That was twice in one conversation that this girl had surprised him. How did she know about Masaomi's clandestine actions with helping villagers? That was surely the only thing she could be referring to since Masaomi certainly didn't do anything else for the country. "While the things Masaomi does with his time may seem wonderful, they aren't related to ruling. It would be better for him to delegate those actions to others and focus on his real duties."

"I admit that I don't understand the strength it takes to a rule a country, especially one as big as Koukidan, but I _do_ understand that right doesn't make right, which is a concept that many nobles confuse. I believe that Prince Masaomi's kindness helps keep him from falling into that mindset."

Ukyo stared at Ema's resolute face and couldn't help smiling at the strength it must have taken for her to stand up to the second prince of Koukidan. "Your ideas are nice," he told her, "but I'm afraid they're misplaced. If you'll excuse me, I have a meeting I must attend."

~.~

Ukyo sighed and leaned back in his carriage, watching the sun start to set. He was returning from a long two day conference with a group of wealthy noble families proposing a new law for trade within Koukidan. He'd already prepared how he would present their idea to the Queen, but he could already hear the annoyance in her voice. She hated it when small groups of nobles tried to dictate policy without consulting the rest of the aristocracy. In her words, if the nobles wanted to complain about something, they could at least do so with a unified voice. She didn't believe in catering to the special interests of small groups.

They had finally reached the village closest to the palace when he spotted a familiar face standing in the middle of a group of villagers.

"Stop!" Ukyo called to his driver, curious about the sight. The horses slowed to a stop and Ukyo got out, trying to be inconspicuous as he moved to where he could hear what was being said.

"It doesn't make any sense for there to be two apothecaries so close together in the center of the shopping district," Ema was saying calmly.

"Which is exactly why _he_ should cease and desist!" A white-haired man exclaimed angrily, pointing to another man. " _My_ shop was here first. I've been selling herbs and remedies to people for decades. And now this family has set up shop and is stealing all my customers."

The other man crossed his arms, a little boy clutching his legs, and looked down his nose at the older man. "My remedies are better and my herbs of higher quality. _That's_ why your customers are coming to me, and that's why _you_ should be the one to close your apothecary."

"This is a large village," Ema said, making calming gestures with her hands. "There are enough people to support two apothecaries, but not so close together. One of your shops should be moved to the other side of the village."

"You mean in the slums?" The white-haired man demanded. "Whoever moves there will make less money. I'm in my old age and live alone. I need to save up for when I can no longer work. I should stay here and serve the same customers I've always served. It would be disrespectful for me to abandon them now." He crossed his arms and gave a firm nod, like that settled it.

Ema gave him a stern look and held up a hand when the other man started to speak up again. "Look at Seiran," Ema said, gesturing at the younger man. "He has a son and a pregnant wife to support, while you, as you just pointed out, have only yourself to support." The old man uncrossed his arms, looking like he wanted to take back that statement now. "And after the people of this village have faithfully supported you for decades, isn't time that you supported them? Those living in the slums have an even greater need of an apothecary near them. Would you deny giving back to the village that has done so much for you?"

The old man hemmed and hawed, clearly unwilling to outright say no.

"And you have a grandson, don't you?" Ema asked him. "Since Seiran is from another village and knows remedies that you don't, send your grandson to apprentice for Seiran and learn from him." She turned to give Seiran a stern look. "I'm sure he'd be willing to accept your grandson as an apprentice since you would lose income by moving your shop."

Seiran reluctantly nodded. "That sounds fair to me."

Ukyo watched in amazement as Ema resolved the issue. Other onlookers in the crowd nodded, as though Ema's words made complete sense. He wondered where Ema learned how to solve disputes before realizing that the people were listening to her, a foreign noble, because they respected her. They cared for her. He hadn't missed some of the crowd members moving defensively towards Ema when the old man got angry.

He stayed where he was and called out to Ema when she walked by him. "May I offer you a ride back to the palace?"

"Yes," Ema said, looking surprised and hesitant as Ukyo handed her into the carriage.

"I must admit, it was impressive how well you handled that dispute," Ukyo told her. "I would not have expected so deft a negotiation from you."

Ema leaned forward, her eyes earnest as she said, "I know that ruling can't be done through kindness alone, Prince Ukyo, but where Masaomi is weak, like in arguing his points to other nobles, _you_ are strong and there _is_ a power that comes through being kind to others and earning their loyalty and respect. I think that you and Prince Masaomi together will make a powerful and good combination on the throne."

Ema's words shocked Ukyo and he wondered how long she'd been thinking about this, but he had to admit that she _did_ have a point. He had just seen her words proved by her actions. He understood her point about valuing Masaomi's way of doing things better now. He chuckled lightly. "I suppose that there is some truth to what you say," he admitted. "I'll try to give Masaomi more support from now on."

Ema beamed happily at his words and Ukyo couldn't help thinking that she looked lovely when she was happy.

The wheels in his mind turned the rest of the drive home. Ema seemed to have an impressive effect on the villagers, despite the fact that she hadn't been in Koukidan more than a few months. Someone like that was too valuable to waste. Rather than having Ema return to Istain after things settled down there, it would be far more prudent to ensure that she ended up in a marriage in Koukidan that placed her in a position of power.

As he looked at Ema again he recalled that he himself was at an age where he should be considering marriage…

 **A/N:** Did anybody guess that the mischievous redheaded maid was Hikaru? The first time I wrote Lesa I made it too obvious that she was Hikaru, but maybe when I changed it I made it too subtle. Also, Queen Miwa would be so proud of Ukyo's thoughts right now.


	10. Useless Princes

**A/N:** I just realized that Ema spends a ton of time walking around the gardens. In my defense, it's not like she has a lot else to do at the palace.

 **Chapter 9: Useless Princes**

"Prince Tsubaki, Prince Azusa, there you two are! Will you be attending Lord Satsu's meeting today on his proposed economic sanctions towards Losa?"

Ema watched from afar as the nobleman engaged Tsubaki and Azusa in conversation about the meeting. Azusa politely listened while Tsubaki looked obviously bored.

"Sorry," Tsubaki said. "I'm afraid we have more pressing business. Like eating breakfast. I'm feeling like something sweet this morning, what about you, Azusa?"

The nobleman's eyes narrowed in anger, but he quickly pasted a smile onto his face. "Of course, Prince Tsubaki. I'd hate to keep you from your breakfast. Perhaps next time." He bowed to the twin princes before turning and stalking away.

Tsubaki tutted and shook his head as he and Azusa walked towards Ema. "You'd think they'd stop asking," Tsubaki muttered, an irritated look on his face. His eyes widened when he spotted Ema and his lips split into a grin. "Lady Ema! What a far more lovely sight for our eyes this morning. What brings you to this part of the palace? I don't suppose you were looking for Azusa and me?"

"Why didn't you go to the meeting?" Ema asked.

"What?" Tsubaki asked, looking confused.

"The meeting," Ema repeated. "The one about imposing economic sanctions on Losa. Losa is attacking Koukidan's borders, aren't they? It sounds important—"

"I told you before," Tsubaki waved off, looking bored, "Azusa and I are unnecessary as princes. The baron only invited us because he was hoping to gain favor with me and Azusa, but he's trying to curry favor with the wrong princes. Which just goes to show how stupid he is."

He stepped closer to Ema, his eyelids half-lowering. Ema stepped back nervously, recalling that it really wasn't a good idea to be alone with these two. She stopped when her back hit the wall and Tsubaki ran his hands up her bare arms. "This is a boring conversation," he murmured leaning over Ema. "When are you going to finally let Azusa and me show you how fun life at the palace can be? You shouldn't concern yourself over silly things like meetings and economic sanctions. Worrying about it won't accomplish anything."

Ema blushed and pushed her hands against Tsubaki's chest, forcing him back. "You keep talking about how you and Azusa aren't needed and don't have a place as rulers, but I think the two of you could be much more if you wanted to be."

"Truly?" Azusa asked, his tone disbelieving as he raised his eyebrows. A softly amused smile covered his face. "And what makes you say that, Lady Ema?"

Ema turned to look Azusa in the eye. "Prince Tsubaki is vivacious and exciting. His personality naturally draws people to him. You, on the other hand, Prince Azusa, are cool and calm, especially standing next to Prince Tsubaki. People feel secure when they talk to you. Your strengths and weaknesses play off each other very well. The two of you could be formidable in government councils if you wanted to be."

Ema's words stunned Azusa and Tsubaki into silence. They didn't even protest when Lesa appeared unexpectedly and stole Ema away with some excuse.

"That was…unexpected," Azusa finally commented. He and Tsubaki received plenty of attention from women, both those they sought out and those they didn't. None of those women had ever paid enough attention to him and Tsubaki to notice what Ema had. To see the two of them as Ema apparently did. Azusa didn't know what to think of it. He wasn't sure he and Tsubaki deserved Ema's words.

"Yeah," Tsubaki agreed, looking uncertain and unsettled as he ran a hand through his hair. He gave Azusa a weak smile. "She really is different, isn't she?"

~.~

"Another secret rendezvous with the twin princes?" Lesa teased. "Careful, Lady Ema. I've seen many innocent maidens fall to their prowess. If you don't watch yourself, you might find yourself falling under their spell."

"I think they just need someone to believe in them," Ema said quietly, her eyes on the floor as they walked. "What would it feel like to think that you were useless? That your life had no purpose because you were the fifth and sixth princes? Maybe they just need a little help finding meaning in their lives."

Unknown to Ema, Lesa gave her a surprised look, then her lips curved into a smile. "You're always so kind and optimistic, Lady Ema. The princes are lucky to have you around."

"What?" Ema asked, looking up suddenly and blushing. "I-I think you're mistaken, Lesa. I don't know why you'd think they're lucky to have me around. I'm the one who's lucky that I'm allowed to stay here."

Lesa merely chuckled.

~.~

"Off to another dull meeting, Ukyo?" Tsubaki asked as his brother passed him in the hall, a harried look on his face.

Ukyo sighed. "Not yet, but soon. It's only a trifling matter, but Duke Rukan is very insistent that he must discuss tearing down the theater in the capital. Honestly, there are days when I truly understand Mother's desire to have some of the nobility thrown off the roof. There are far more important matters than a _theater_ that I could be dealing with this afternoon." He shook his head as he continued on, oblivious to Tsubaki's shock.

"Wait!" Tsubaki called, chasing after his older brother. "What do you mean tear down the theater? Why? I thought it did well. Lord Asako was raving about a play he'd seen there just the other night."

"It's doing well enough as far as I'm aware," Ukyo said, not slowing his pace as he glanced at Tsubaki out of the corner of his eye. "Which is part of the problem. Duke Rukan and a few other nobles acted as patrons to the merchants who had the theater built and funded the project. Now, decades later, the merchants have finally paid off all their debts to their patrons and own the theater free and clear. The nobles are upset because the theater is no longer earning them money and they failed to finagle to keep part ownership. They want the place shut down now."

Tsubaki stopped walking, a heavy feeling settled over him. Azusa and Tsubaki had spent a lot of time at the theater, particularly when they were younger. Tsubaki had been enchanted with the theater as a boy. The stories and characters dazzled him and he marveled at the actors' abilities to make Tsubaki forget all about his own life and troubles for a time. Impulsively, he called out, "We'll be there."

"What?" Ukyo asked, finally halting his steps to turn and look at Tsubaki.

"Azusa and me. We'll be at that meeting."

Ukyo raised his eyebrows. "The two of you? What, you want part in the new theater? I'd think that'd be more work than the two of you are willing to put into anything."

Tsubaki scowled. "Don't worry about us, just know that we'll be there. Don't start it without us."

Ukyo sighed. "I'm not going to hold up a meeting for your sake. Just arrive on time if you want to be there. Or waltz in late like Kaname does whenever he bothers to come to meetings."

~.~

"The theater has been mismanaged ever since the merchants took over completely," Duke Rukan stated. "They've been irresponsible from the beginning and would have paid us back faster if they did not waste their profits on gambling and drink. It would be better for all if the theater was shut down now rather than allowing the owners to drive it into ruin and drain money from others in a useless attempt to save it."

"May we see the account ledgers of the theater?" Azusa asked.

"W-what?" Duke Rukan asked, blinking in confusion.

"The account ledgers," Azusa repeated. "I'm assuming you're not making claims of money mismanagement without proof. Do you have copies of the account ledgers for the theater so we may see where the money of the theater is going?"

"I…I…well, you see, Prince Azusa, I'm afraid I don't have access to the account ledgers now that the merchants paid off their debt in full. But I swear to you, we had problems with the merchants from the very beginning. While we still had a say in the running of the theater, we were able to keep them in line, but now that everything is controlled by the merchants…I'd hate for the theater to become a drain to the capital's prosperous economy." Other nobles around the room nodded in agreement.

"Truly?" Tsubaki asked, leaning forward as though enthralled with Duke Rukan's words. "I find your opinion on the merchants very interesting Duke Rukan, particularly since Azusa and I have known the theater's owners since we were boys. I've never found them to be drunkards and gamblers. At least, not any more than any other man off the street."

Duke Rukan froze, looking like a rat cornered by a cat.

"Of course, we've never had business dealings with them as you have, Duke," Azusa admitted. "If you can produce sufficient evidence that the theater is in poor hands and will only be a drain to our economy that is another matter."

"After all," Tsubaki added, "a country cannot claim to be cultured without the arts, and Koukidan is known for its cultured society. More than that, the arts are a unifier. People of all classes visit the theater. It's the one thing that many of them have in common. We would not wish to take away so valuable a component of the capital without a compelling reason."

No one spoke and Duke Rukan threw a pleading look at Ukyo, hoping for his support. Ukyo, however, was oblivious to the Duke's pleading look, though he knew well enough that the Duke expected Ukyo's support since Ukyo held little care for the arts. Instead, Ukyo's attention was on his brothers. He'd never seen them take the initiative on anything. It was gratifying seeing them actually participate. True, this was a minor matter, but it was still a good sign. Even better, they'd actually made well-reasoned and valid arguments.

"My brothers have an excellent point," Ukyo said. "The people of the capital love the theater and I've recently come to believe that the aristocracy would benefit from increased contact with the people we rule over. The theater may provide a more neutral ground for such interactions to occur." He turned to look at the Duke. "Without proof of your claims, Duke Rukan, I'm afraid I'll have to deny your desire to shut down the theater. This matter is dismissed unless more evidence is found and brought to our attention."

~.~

Azusa walked out of the meeting feeling…he wasn't even sure how he was feeling. Triumphant? Accomplished? When Tsubaki came to him and told him that nobles were plotting to shut down the theater, Azusa had been almost as upset as Tsubaki, but when Tsubaki had demanded that the two of them attend the meeting discussing the theater, Azusa had been shocked. He'd wondered what the two of them could possibly accomplish, but Tsubaki had brought up Ema's words, suggesting that maybe she was right, maybe the two of them could accomplish something together. And the other nobles supporting Duke Rukan had said little to contradict his and Tsubaki's arguments. Even Ukyo had supported them.

"It's all thanks to Lady Ema," Tsubaki said as the two of them walked to their quarters. "Without her I wouldn't have even thought of us trying to save the theater. If this had happened a few weeks ago, we would have done nothing."

Azusa felt oddly jealous at Tsubaki's words, but what was he jealous about? About a woman changing Tsubaki? Or about another man, even his twin brother, speaking so glowingly about Ema? "She's amazing," Azusa admitted. He wanted to see her to tell her about the meeting. He suddenly felt the urge to know more about her. And wanted her to want to know him. Why had she believed in him and Tsubaki when no one else had?

"She is," Tsubaki agreed, a look on his face unlike Azusa had ever seen before.

~.~

That night, Azusa went walking in the gardens alone. He needed some space from Tsubaki to try to sort through his thoughts. It shocked him when he walked passed a hedge and spotted Lady Ema among hibiscus. He stopped at the sight. She looked so beautiful, and her surroundings seemed to match her. Ema belonged in a garden framed by flowers as lovely as her. Why hadn't he noticed her looks this much before?

He cleared his throat to announce his presence, and Ema turned with a surprised look on her face. His heart clenched painfully when a wary look entered her eye and she looked around, as though hoping to spot someone else around. Of course, he couldn't blame her. Why would she view him with anything other than suspicion when all he'd done was stand by or help as Tsubaki tried to seduce her?

He stayed several feet away, hoping to make her more comfortable. "Tsubaki and I actually participated in governing affairs today," he told her. "A Duke and some other nobles wanted to tear down a theater enjoyed by the aristocracy and by peasants. We argued to protect the theater and we won…It's the first time we've ever done anything like that."

An excited smile crossed Ema's face and Azusa's heart thumped at the sight. "That's wonderful, Prince Azusa! But, what made you and Prince Tsubaki change you minds about getting involved?" She tilted her head to the side as she regarded Azusa curiously.

"You did," Azusa answered. "It was your words that encouraged us to try."

Ema blushed and looked flustered. "I didn't do anything, really," she argued.

"You did," Azusa countered, smiling. "You believed in us." Ema looked like she was about to argue again and she looked so adorable while blushing that it took all of Azusa's power to try not to seduce her. Not in Tsubaki's blatant way, but in his own, more subtle, way. Not that any of the twins' attempts to seduce her had seemed to have any effect anyway, but Ema was special. He didn't want Ema to want to know him better because she was attracted to his looks or because of his station. He wanted her to be interested in Azusa. Just Azusa. So he restrained himself and told her all about the meeting instead, enjoying having her undivided attention and seeing her obvious pleasure in his and Tsubaki's success.

~.~

Ema was still excited by Azusa's news the next day. She hoped that Tsubaki and Azusa would have more confidence now and feel like they could make a difference rather than just feeling like useless, extra princes. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard yelling ahead of her.

She was walking along outside the front of the palace for a change and a few yards away she spotted the source of the yelling. A nobleman was yelling at a palace servant. Off to the side stood Prince Kaname. Without meaning too, Ema kept walking until she could hear what was being said.

"I'm sorry to involve you in this, Prince, but since you asked what the problem is, this servant is lazy and his service is subpar," the nobleman declared, gesturing to the servant. "He should be removed from the palace staff immediately, which is why I called him out here." The servant curled his hands into fists, an angry and indignant look on his face.

"Oh?" Kaname asked. "You believe that the hospitality of Koukidan palace is lacking?"

"What? I—no, not at all Prince Kaname, this wastard is the only problem, which is why I sought to take care of it—"

"Ah," Kaname interrupted. "I see, the problem is that you are _too_ comfortable since you seem to be under the impression that you have the right to make adjustments to the palace staff."

The nobleman fell silent, looking confused and uncomfortable. "If you find your visit here so unpalatable, you are free to return to your own lands. Or if you feel you have a genuine complaint, feel free to make your concerns known to the head maid or head butler of the palace." Kaname's kept his words and tones civil as he spoke.

The nobleman blushed red and bowed, spewing apologies before leaving. The servant also bowed, quietly thanking the prince before making his own exit.

Ema couldn't help but think that here was another prince not living up to his potential. Only, unlike the twins, Kaname didn't seem to lack confidence in his abilities. So why avoid participating in governmental affairs?

"Why do you waste your talent?" Ema asked when Kaname passed by her. He looked at her in surprise, just barely noticing her. Ema flushed, realizing that she'd said her thoughts out loud. "Pardon my words, Prince Kaname," Ema said with a bow. "I didn't mean to speak aloud."

"No apologies necessary, my Lady," Kaname said, giving Ema a flirtatious smile. "Though I'm afraid that you're confused about where my talent lies." He placed one hand on the wall behind Ema and leaned close to her. "I'd be more than happy to show you my true talents if you'd like."

"Please don't talk to me while hiding behind a mask," Ema requested. Kaname pulled back in shock, unable to believe what he'd just heard. Ema nodded to him politely before walking away, Kaname's incredulous eyes trailing after her.

~.~

"Lady Ema!" Tsubaki exclaimed, jumping forward and hugging her.

"Oof!" Ema said softly at the impact. "You're kind of crushing me, Prince Tsubaki," Ema said, a light blush on her cheeks. Tsubaki pouted but moved back and proceeded to talk to her with a few feet of space between them.

Kaname watched this interaction from afar. It had been a week since he'd spoken with Ema, and he'd been unable to get the conversation out of his mind. He didn't think about it constantly, but at night it crept up on him.

He felt oddly jealous watching Tsubaki with Ema. It wasn't as though he was attracted to the Ambassador's daughter, but he'd never had a woman see through him like Ema had. He'd never had _anyone_ other than Hikaru and possibly Masaomi see through him before. He was curious about her, and didn't like other men flirting with something he found curious. Even more interesting was the sight of Tsubaki _not_ attempting to feel up or kiss Ema. This was the first time Kaname had ever seen Tsubaki act like this. After the initial hug, Tsubaki kept his hands to himself, an excited and happy look on his face as he spoke with Ema. This only served to deepen the mystery surrounding the Ambassador's daughter. What kind of a woman could have an effect like _that_ on Tsubaki?


	11. Overwhelmed

**Guest97:** Thank you for your wonderful review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much! To answer your question, Ema will only end up with one brother in this fic rather than there being multiple endings like with Intricate Relations.

 **Chapter 10: Overwhelmed**

"Prince Iori!" Iori tried not to flinch as yet another noblemen called out to him.

He turned to give the man a polite look, having to stare at him for several moments before finally remembering his name. Iori had spoken with so many nobles this week and gotten so little sleep from all the work he'd been doing that all the aristocrats were starting to blend together. "Yes, Lord Satsu?"

"I'm so glad I ran into you before I returned to my estate. I wanted to extend an invitation to you to come and take tea with me next week. I was hoping to discuss Queen Miwa's proposed Border Accords with you."

Iori kept his polite expression as he thought that in addition to discussing the accords with Iori, Lord Satsu also doubtlessly wanted Iori to spend time with his daughter. It seemed like in the past two weeks, a third of the nobles in the country had come to Iori wanting to get his opinion on something, wanting his support on something, have him spend time with their daughters, or some combination of the three. "I'm afraid now is a very busy time," Iori responded truthfully. "I'll have to send you a letter letting you know whether I can make it or not."

"Of course," Lord Satsu said amicably. "I understand that there are many demands for your time, Prince Iori." Of course Lord Satsu was still being pleasant. He didn't really believe that Iori wouldn't make it. Iori was the perfect prince who gave his time to all the nobles equally. Who listened to all their concerns. Who helped them with all their problems. Who never made a mistake.

Iori nodded politely to Lord Satsu and continued on his way. He'd just come from a meeting that Hikaru had asked him to attend and was already late for a session with his tutor. He happened to look out at the gardens and spotted Ema among the flowers. Without really thinking about it, his feet changed direction to take him outside.

"Good afternoon, Lady Ema," he called before reaching her, not wanting to surprise her.

She looked over and smiled brightly at him. "Prince Iori, what a surprise to see you in the gardens during the day. Normally you're too busy to come out here."

Iori gave a guilty smile and admitted, "I do have somewhere I'm supposed to be right now. I'm afraid I'm running away from my responsibilities for the moment. I hope you're not disappointed in me."

Ema shook her head. "It's good to take a break sometimes, otherwise, the pressure becomes too much and you might crack. You need to remember to take care of yourself, Prince Iori."

Iori smiled at Ema gratefully when he heard bushes rustling. He turned and, to his disappointment, saw his tutor. His tutor had yet to see Iori, but he would soon. However, before the tutor spotted him, he felt a hand on his arm. He turned to see Ema gently tugging on his arm. She moved him behind a rose bush and pushed on his shoulder. Curious, Iori allowed himself to be pushed down. Through gaps in the leaves he watched his tutor approach Ema.

"Excuse me, Lady Ema, have you seen Prince Iori? He was supposed to meet me in the library a little while ago, but he hasn't shown up yet. It's not like him to be late. Have you seen him?"

"Prince Iori?" Ema asked, tilting her head to the side. "I can't imagine that he would be in the gardens during the day while he has other responsibilities to take care of."

"Yes, you're right, of course," the tutor agreed, flushing. "Prince Iori would never be out here during the middle of the day. Excuse me." He gave a small bow and left.

Iori felt relief wash over him, though it warred with the guilt inside him. It wasn't like him to shirk his responsibilities, but he just wanted to spend a few moments with someone who expected nothing from him. Who just enjoyed his company without expecting or wanting anything else in return.

"Thank you, Lady Ema," Iori said as he came around the bush. "Only you understand me and the way I feel. I'm grateful you don't judge me for my weaknesses."

"You mean judge you for being human?" Ema asked, raising her eyebrows.

Iori smiled, his heart warming at Ema's words. "Then would you support my selfishness for a little longer and spend time with me while I shirk my duties?" Iori asked, holding a hand out to Ema.

Ema returned Iori's smile and placed her hand in his. Gripping her hand tightly, Iori took off, wanting to show Ema the rose garden maze. Ema laughed at Iori's unexpected behavior. She'd never seen him look so relaxed before. It was like a weight had temporarily been lifted off his shoulders.

Iori showed her all around the rose maze, telling her about the different varieties of roses and getting them lost more than once. Eventually, Iori asked, "Are you enjoying your time here in Koukidan?"

Ema sighed and fiddled with her skirt as she studied a large yellow rose. "I miss my father's estate," she admitted. "I miss the staff and I miss the people in the surrounding villages. I know so little about what's going on in Istain and I wish that I knew more. It's hard for me to relax without knowing how things are going. I feel selfish being here safe and far away while I don't even know the state of my own country, and my father won't tell me anything dangerous in his letters because he doesn't want to upset me. I wish he'd just be honest with me."

Iori couldn't help the disappointment he felt welling up upon hearing that Ema missed her home. It made sense, of course, but he wanted her to be happy here. He wished there was a way he could make Koukidan feel more like home to Ema.

~.~

Ema was writing a letter to her dear friend and the head butler of her father's estate, Juli (who was still most displeased to have Ema staying at a castle with several princes), when the door to her quarters opened. Ema looked over in surprise, wondering who would walk into her room unannounced and was even more surprised to see that it was Fuuto. He closed the door before settling himself on Ema's couch.

"Prince Fuuto…" Ema trailed off, not sure what to say. Then she asked, "Is there something I can do for you?" Even if Fuuto was a prince, it still felt audacious for him to walk into her rooms without asking for permission. She wouldn't have even guessed that Fuuto knew where her rooms were.

Fuuto waved a dismissive hand at Ema. "Be quiet and go back to your writing. This is my family's palace and my family's country and I can do as I wish. I'm tired of being around lying sycophants and I haven't gotten any rest. If I go anywhere else, someone will find and annoy me. It's inevitable, but the nobles don't like you, so they won't come here."

Hesitantly, Ema went back to her letter, feeling odd about doing so while Fuuto lay on her couch. As Ema wrote, she thought that both Iori and Fuuto seemed to be using Ema as a type of escape from the pressures put on them, though they did so in very different ways. Regardless, Ema had to admit that she found all the princes of Koukidan very interesting and hoped to learn more about them. She was glad she could be helpful to some of them since she was intruding on their home and hospitality.

When Ema finished her letter, she bit her lip and looked over at the prince resting on her couch, not sure if it was appropriate for her to say what was on her mind.

"What?" Fuuto asked in irritation when he caught Ema looking at him, then he smirked. "I know we've already established that you like studying my face, but don't you think it's a bit awkward to do so under a setting like this?"

Ema flushed. "That's not what I was doing. I was just wondering if…if you wanted to sing."

"Sing?" Fuuto asked, straightening up. "Why would I want to sing?"

Ema shrugged. "Because it's something you seem to enjoy and you feel like it's not appropriate for a prince to sing, but there's no one around other than me and I've already heard you sing. If you felt like it, now would be a good time."

Fuuto stared at her in silence and Ema felt foolish for bringing it up. Finally, Fuuto sighed and said, "If you insist." He stood and began singing a ballad from Istain. Touched at his choice in song, Ema happily sat at her desk and listened to him sing.

~.~

The next evening, Ema felt like something must have gone terribly wrong somewhere. The atmosphere at the castle was tense and she spotted nobles and servants speaking to each other in terse whispers. She also felt like several people threw her odd looks, though she wondered if perhaps she was imagining it. Maybe she was starting to feel more self-conscious about not fitting in very well.

After dinner, Ukyo approached Ema and asked if he could speak with her. His grave manner concerned Ema and she wondered if she'd somehow done something wrong or offended someone important. Had that been the reason behind the strange looks she'd gotten during the day?

Ema's heart rate picked up and nerves flooded her as Ukyo led her to a small, empty sitting room. She tried to go over the past couple days in her head, thinking over everything she'd done. Or maybe she hadn't done anything. Maybe Queen Miwa was just tired of housing Ema. She had been there for a while now.

Ukyo sat Ema down on a couch and sat next to her. "Lady Ema, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but…civil war has broken out in Istain."

Ema gasped and clutched her hands together over her heart. "When?"

"This week," Ukyo said, giving Ema a sympathetic look. "The news just reached the palace today. The Istanian court advisors deliberated for too long, unsure if they really had the right to pick the true heir and unable to choose who should rule. Armies supporting both princes have gathered and fighting has commenced just north of Istain's capital."

Ema stared blankly at a painting of a field on the wall across from her, not really seeing it. She'd known that things were tense in Istain, but she hadn't imagined that war would break out. How could the princes be selfish enough to endanger the lives of their people? To destroy the stability of Istain? And how could the people support princes who obviously cared so little for those they were supposed to serve?

Gently, Ukyo took one of Ema's hands in his own. "I'm sorry that this is happening, Lady Ema, but perhaps it's time you considered creating a new life for yourself here in Koukidan. A civil war might last for years, or destroy a country almost entirely. I know you've been waiting and hoping to return to Istain, but you are young and intelligent and shouldn't put your life on hold hoping for something that may never happen."

Ema stared at Ukyo, too stunned to reply. She had been enjoying learning more about Koukidan's princes and growing closer to them, but she'd never intended to stay here. How could she feel anything other than devastated at this news? And what of her father? Had he taken a side in the civil war?

~.~

"You have put us off for long enough," Commander Rao growled. "If you had brought us the true heir from the beginning, we might have prevented this war from happening, Lord Rintaro."

"And on what basis do you make that statement?" Rintaro demanded. "What makes you believe that if I somehow presented you with Queen Mai's child that all the arguing would end? All it would accomplish would be to turn a two-way struggle into a three-way struggle. Finding the true heir to the throne would not eliminate Prince Naru's and Prince Maru's supporters, it would only make the chaos worse." They were meeting late at night in a rundown tavern. The owner was a former member of Commander Rao's army and still loyal to him.

"The king's advisors spent so much time deliberating between the twin princes because they knew they did not truly have the right to choose," Commander Rao argued. "They'd hoped that some noble family would come forward with evidence that the king secretly favored one prince over the other for the throne. If we'd brought forward Queen Mai's child, there would have been no deliberation at all."

"There's no guarantee of that," Lord Kai argued. "I believe the advisors' long deliberation had more to do with them fearing retaliation from the prince they did not choose than from a desire to discover the best heir. They're probably relieved that civil war has broken out and that they no longer play a part in all this."

Commander Rao shook his head in frustration. "It doesn't matter what would have or would not have happened now. Lord Rintaro, what do you know about the location of Queen Mai's child?"

"Before that," Lord Urie cut in, "we must decide if we _want_ to find the child. We know nothing of the true heir. Our goal is to provide stability for this country. What good would putting an unknown quantity on the throne do? At this point I feel that military rule—"

Lord Urie was interrupted when the tavern owner stepped into the room. "I'm sorry," he apologized to Commander Rao, looking nervous. "There's a nobleman at the door insisting he be let in."

"Who is he?" Lord Kai asked, white-faced. "How did he learn about this meeting?"

" _He_ is Lord Watabe," a young, dark-haired, man said, walking into the room. "And I know about you because I imagine anyone interested in the true welfare of Istain could track you down." He paused and offered a shrug. "Also, having lots of money and paying people to talk helps."

Rintaro clenched a fist as he glanced at the young lord with distrust. "The Watabe family is known to support the younger of the twin princes, Prince Maru. Why aren't you with his army right now?"

Lord Watabe looked sad as he shook his head. "My father supports Prince Maru, but he does not speak for me. I admit, I did once agree with my father, but now that war has broken out, I don't know what to do. All I want is for Istain to be safe and strong, and most of the men working to accomplish that are here in this room. I want to offer my help in any way I can."

The noblemen in the room looked around at each other warily. Now that Lord Watabe had seen their faces, there were only two options available to them. Either they decided to trust him and let him join them, or they killed him.


	12. Prince Natsume

**A/N:** Thanks to Littlest1 for her ideas regarding this chapter Also, to the person who said I hadn't updated in a week, I updated Sunday and Wednesday of last week…either you missed two chapters or are confused

 **Chapter 11: Prince Natsume**

"What are you going do now, Ema?" Wataru asked as the two had tea and sweets in the sitting room of Wataru's quarters. "I heard Ukyo and Hikaru saying there's civil war in Istain…Are you still going to stay here?"

Ema stared at her tea silently, not knowing what to say. Wataru watched her in concern. He ducked down, trying to catch her eyes as he said, "I'd love it if you stayed with us in Koukidan. I like spending time with you and having you live at the palace."

Ema smiled sadly at Wataru. "I like spending time with you too. I've enjoyed staying here and getting to know you and your brothers, but…I never intended to stay here. I'd hoped that I'd be able to go home soon and see my father and—" Ema broke off, trying to stop her tears from falling. She knew that Wataru had invited her here and had treats brought to cheer her up. She didn't want him to see how sad she felt.

Wataru pouted and looked at the floor, trying to be mature about all this. "Were you at least planning on visiting us with your dad when he came to do ambassador things? Or are you tired of us?"

"Not at all!" Ema rushed to assure Wataru. "Of course I would miss you and want to come back to visit, Wataru. You and I have become good friends."

Wataru beamed at Ema, pleased with her words. "Will you at least stay here until the civil war is over?" His eyebrows wrinkled as he thought back to everything he'd heard his brothers say about Istain. "I think that it would be dangerous for you to go back right now."

"You're probably right," Ema said softly. "Unless my father requests for me to return to Istain, I'll stay here at the palace." What Ema didn't tell Wataru was that she'd been hearing from her father less and less. She feared he was involved in dangerous things that he didn't want to tell her about. Every night she prayed he was safe and that she'd see him again soon.

~.~

An empty carriage with a driver and a man sitting next to him trundled along, nearing the village closest to Koukidan palace. The man next to the driver sighed and looked around at the familiar surroundings, entirely unhappy to be there. The driver cast him an amused look. "That's the hundredth time you've sighed on our journey, my Lord. Are you sure we shouldn't turn back? I'm afraid you may end up losing all your air and perishing on the spot. The Queen wouldn't like that much."

The lord shook his head. "I'm sure Queen Miwa would rather I perish on the way to the palace than ignore her summons. I already told her I was coming. It'd take a long time for her to forgive me if we turned back now. Besides, Queen Miwa normally leaves the affairs of Kishu Province entirely up to me, so I owe her for that."

The driver nodded and adjusted his hat against the slight wind. "She has been very generous towards our province in that regard. Do you know why she wants you at the palace?"

The Lord shook his head. "I rarely understand anything that woman wants. She's a clever one, hiding motives within motives. I've found it's best not to ask."

The driver nodded again sagely, thinking that the Queen of Koukidan was a very formidable woman.

They entered the village and soon had to slow their horses. A crowd of peasants blocked the street. The Lord craned his neck to find the source and saw two women handing something out to the peasants. The sight was odd enough, but what really surprised him was the fine dress of one of the woman. She either had to be the daughter of a wealthy merchant or a noblewoman.

The Lord watched as the finely dressed woman turned and lifted a crate stacked higher than her head, then nearly toppled under its weight. Immediately, he leapt from the carriage and ran to her, steadying her before taking the crate from her hands. Inside the crate he saw piles of fruit. "Are you all right?" He asked her.

"Y-yes, I'm fine," she said, taking him in before suddenly bowing. "Thank you so much for your help! I'm sorry to cause you trouble."

"It's no trouble at all," he assured her, setting the crate down at her feet. "Can I ask what it is you're doing here?"

"There's been a terrible rash of fevers lately," she said, a look of concern on her face. "We're passing out medicine to the villagers." She turned to the woman helping her and said, "Would you please steep some more yarrow root, Imai?"

"Yes, my Lady!" Imai said cheerfully, turning and disappearing behind the pile of crates.

"I see," the Lord said, nodding and noting that the peasant had called this woman 'my Lady'. She _was_ a noblewoman then. "And the fruit?"

"To aid in their recovery, of course," she said simply. "It takes more than medicine to get better. They need the nutrients in fruits and vegetables and don't get enough of it." She bent to reach into the crate and then handed a handful of fruit to an old woman.

"Thank you, my dear," the old woman said, patting the noblewoman on the cheek. "It's always nice to see you around the village."

"And you funded this?" The Lord asked in amazement as he gazed at the large crowd of peasants, all of whom seemed genuinely pleased to be around the noblewoman.

"Well," the young woman said, bringing his attention back to her. A light blush covered her cheeks. "It's money that my father sent me, so technically he's funding it."

"My Lord!" A voice called. He turned to see his driver waving at him before pointing significantly at the position of the sun. Right. He had somewhere he needed to be.

"Excuse me, my Lady," he said, bowing to her, "I'm afraid I must be off." He turned to go before pausing and pulling a purse full of a few gold coins and holding it out to her. "If it would not be too much trouble, please use this to help purchase your supplies. It would be a shame if you ran out before everyone was taken care of."

A radiant smile covered the young lady's face. "Thank you, my Lord!" She exclaimed, curtseying to him.

He smiled in return before going back to his carriage. His driver now stood at the door and opened it for the Lord, gesturing for him to go inside. "Perhaps you ought to ride within the carriage since we're almost there." He lowered his voice. "And perhaps I should start calling you prince instead of lord since we're practically in the capital and all."

"Don't bother," Natsume said, walking passed the man and swinging himself back onto the driver's bench. "It's not like my brothers aren't aware that I rule over Kishu Province as a Lord and not a prince. They know I've no desire for the title."

The driver smiled and nodded before hoping up beside Natsume and urging the horses on.

~.~

Natsume stood outside the palace, his driver taking the horses and carriage to the stables. He tried to will his feet forward, but was struggling to do so. He only came here when he absolutely had to, and he wished he knew why his mother wrote insisting that he come.

The whole ride to the capital Natsume had been trying not to go over exactly what he would have to deal with while here, but it was hard not to since it was always the same. Masaomi would sneak off to help villagers, then Ukyo would criticize him for it. Hikaru would likely be running around in the guise of a woman. His triplets would be corrupting some young lady and harass Natsume for being pure compared to them. Kaname would pay more attention to his harem than to governing. Yusuke would be going on about Subaru and trying to train as a knight to be just like him. Iori would be perfect and go to every meeting and solve every nobles' problem, while Fuuto would pretend to care about all the people trailing him around. His brothers never changed, which was part of the reason Natsume had to leave. He wanted progress, not stasis.

Eventually he sighed, glad his driver wasn't there to hear it, and forced himself inside. He'd only been in the palace a few minutes when from around the corner he heard a familiar voice saying, "The villagers in Josit want to expand their industry. They've developed some innovative farming tools and are trying to find out how best to share them with other villages. The money would really help with them with repairs from the floods that happened this spring."

"I see," a calculating voice responded. "There are some minor noblemen and some relatively well-off merchants in the area. I'll arrange for them to speak with the villagers and see what can be done."

The speakers came around the corner and Masaomi and Ukyo came into view. He watched in shock as the pair continued past him, not believing his own ears. Had Masaomi just told Ukyo concerns about peasants…and had Ukyo _responded_ with a _solution_? Since when did Ukyo ever encourage, let alone support, Masaomi's interacting with the peasants on the intimate level that he did?

"Uh, hi," he said awkwardly.

Ukyo stopped, turned his head and said, "Oh, hi Natsume," before turning back and continuing his conversation with Masaomi. Masaomi gave Natsume a friendly wave and smile as he walked away with Ukyo.

Natsume blinked numbly as he watched them walk away, then shook his head. _That_ had been weird. He started walking again, figuring he should let his mother know he'd arrived before he did anything else.

He'd almost reached his mother's office when he turned a corner and saw both Iori and Fuuto.

"I'm sure that everything would go smoothly with your help," a nobleman was saying to Iori, giving an oily smile as he spoke. "Nothing that the perfect prince touches fails." Out of sight of the nobleman, Fuuto rolled his eyes.

"I'm afraid I'll have to refuse," Iori said and the nobleman's face screwed up in confusion.

"What?" He asked, as though he must have heard Iori wrong.

"I'm glad you feel that my aid would be beneficial," Iori explained, "but it's also good for you to learn to rely on your own merits as well."

The nobleman blanched and Fuuto smirked, grabbing Iori's arm and pulling him along. "We're very busy at the moment. I'm sure you understand."

"H-hi," Natsume said when his younger brothers reached him.

"Oh, it's you," Fuuto said, looking Natsume up and down. "Good to see you're still alive, I guess. Congrats on not screwing up your own fiefdom so much that they rose up in rebellion and killed you."

"Thanks," Natsume said dryly, then turned to Iori. "I've never seen you turn down anything before. Not joining a meeting, resolving a dispute, or even taking tea with a noble family to discuss anything from politics to art."

Iori shrugged; another thing Natsume had never seen his brother do. "Not even I can handle everything that comes my way. I need a break too sometimes. Being the 'perfect prince' doesn't stop me from being human."

Where were these words coming from? Natsume had been concerned about Iori more than once, afraid that Iori took on more than he could handle. It had seemed like Iori was too afraid to tell anyone no; too afraid of letting someone down. "And what about you?" Natsume asked Fuuto. "Are you joining in Iori's experiment of joining us mere mortals and taking time to breathe?"

"No," Fuuto answered shortly. "I'm looking up traditional Koukidan songs. They're not nearly good enough, but I need to know exactly what they're like before I can improve them. Iori is going with me to the library to help me look them up." Fuuto pulled on Iori's arm again and they kept going.

Natsume watched them walk away, wondering what was going on. Had he fallen asleep on the carriage ride to the palace? Maybe he was dreaming. He pinched his arm and shook his head. Definitely not dreaming. If it wasn't Iori and Ukyo acting out of character, Natsume would wonder if his brothers had decided to prank him, but neither Ukyo nor Iori would ever participate in something like that.

Dumbfounded, Natsume went to the Queen's office and knocked. Kota, the Queen's top advisor, opened the door. When he spotted Natsume, he turned and said something to the Queen who responded with something he couldn't hear. Kota opened the door wider and let Natsume in before leaving.

Queen Miwa sat behind the desk, one elbow propped on the desk with her face resting in her hand. She looked as regal as ever.

"Mother," Natsume said with a nod. "Good to see you looking well. Is there something I can do for you?"

She scoffed and leaned back in her chair. "You're always so stiff, Natsume. You're almost as bad as Ukyo." She paused and a smile curled her lips. "Though he _has_ been a bit better lately." Natsume's mind flashed to the conversation he'd heard between Masaomi and Ukyo a few minutes ago and he wondered what had brought this change in his strictest brother. "But there _is_ something I'd like for you to do. Do you remember Ambassador Rintaro?"

"Yes," Natsume said, wondering where Queen Miwa was going with this. Kishu Province was close to Istain and the Ambassador often traveled through Natsume's province and took the time to say hello. Ambassador Rintaro was a good and hardworking man.

"Good," Miwa said, looking pleased before her face became sympathetic. "I'm sure you've heard of all the trouble Istain has been facing lately. Before civil war broke out, I insisted that Ambassador Rintaro send his daughter to me for safe keeping. Thank goodness I did, or who knows what situation she'd be in now. Anyway, she's staying here at the palace and I want you to make an effort to befriend her."

Natsume blinked slowly. The Queen had called him to the capital, away from his province and his duties to a place he did not like to be, for a _girl_? Natsume didn't remember how old the Ambassador's daughter was since he hadn't seen her for quite some time, but he knew that she was a fair bit younger than him.

Anger bubbled up inside Natsume. So much for Queen Miwa leaving the affairs of Kishu Province alone. If the Queen had called him all the way from his home to the palace for a girl, she obviously hoped that Natsume might take her as a bride. Unbelievable. "Is that all?" Natsume asked in a clipped voice. "Or is there something you want me to do while I'm here that isn't a waste of my time?"

Miwa sighed. "You help govern a part of this country and this is the center of government, where you can discuss, learn from, and form alliances with others in a similar position to you. Not to mention the fact that all your family lives here," she added dryly. "I wouldn't think either of those would be considered a waste of time."

Natsume clapped his arms to his side and bowed stiffly. "Of course not, my Queen. I will endeavor to learn from your sycophant aristocracy and my talented brothers." He turned and left before he sarcastically listed the 'talents' of some of his brothers.

"I mean it about the girl!" The Queen called after him and he shook his head angrily, stalking away. He kept going until he reached the training yard and saw Yusuke swinging a sword at a practice dummy.

"How's your training for becoming a knight coming along?" He asked.

Yusuke looked up in surprise, and stopped his practice. He walked over to Natsume, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "I'm not training to become a knight anymore. I need to find my own path in life."

"Then what are you doing out here?" Natsume asked, confused and surprised.

Yusuke blushed as he looked off into the distance. "I still think it's good to know how to defend yourself and the people you care about. And there's…someone I want to protect." He scowled and glared at Natsume. "Why's it any of your business anyway?" He asked before going back to his training.

"Yeah, nice to see you too," Natsume muttered under his breath. He wondered what had happened to change Yusuke's mind. Yusuke had wanted to be just like Subaru for as long as Natsume could remember. This was yet another brother acting out of character. Natsume had visited the capital just half a year ago and everything had been the same as always then. What in the world had changed in the last six months?

~.~

Two days later found Natsume back in the village. His brothers' changed attitudes were weirding him out and he had no desire to run into the Ambassador's daughter. What was she even like? He could only imagine a weak, frightened little girl who'd fled from Istain at the first sign of trouble. Certainly not someone he wanted to deal with. What could his mother be thinking?

Thoughts of the Ambassador's daughter flew from his mind as he found what he'd been hoping to see. The young noble lady from a few days ago. She was playing with peasant children. Natsume smiled as he watched her running around with them, apparently playing some sort of tag. She would let the children catch her before chasing after them. Eventually, a middle-aged woman came and gathered the children, taking them away. He heard them loudly complaining as they walked away, turning back to wave at the noblewoman and making her promise to return.

The young lady began walking up the street and to Natsume's surprise and secret delight, her eyes lit up when she saw him. "It's you!" She exclaimed. "I was hoping I would see you again. I wanted to thank you for the gold you gave me. We were able to buy more medicine and pass it around to all the sick villagers. We would have run out if not for your help."

"I'm glad," Natsume said, meaning it. "I was hoping to see you again too. I realized after I left that I never learned your name."

"I am Lady Ema," she introduced herself. "I don't think that I've seen you around before." Her voice had a question in it, as though she weren't entirely sure.

"You probably haven't," he agreed. "I'm the Lord of Kishu Province and don't spend a lot of time at the capital. I prefer to be among my people. That's where the real work gets done." A part of him felt reluctant to give her his name and have her connect him to the Princes of Koukidan. A giving woman like her who spent time among the peasants might not have the best impression of the princes. True, there were the good ones like Louis, Masaomi, and Subaru, but then there were the ones like his two triplets and Kaname who did nothing but fool around.

"I agree," Ema said, her face lighting up again. "I'm always happiest after being in the village. I feel like it's the most productive use of my time." She paused before asking, "If you don't normally spend time in the capital, is there a reason you've come here?"

Natsume turned his face away, not wanting Ema to see the anger in his eyes. Once he got his face under control, he turned back to her. "My mother called me to the capital. I'm here at her behest."

"Are you staying at the palace, then?" Ema asked, tilting her head. "It seems to be traditional here that all visiting nobles stay at the palace."

Natsume wondered at Ema's words. It almost sounded like she was a foreigner, but maybe she was just referring to the capital. If she'd never come here before, she wouldn't know that visiting aristocracy lived in the palace for the duration of their stay. "Yes," he answered. "I am staying at the palace while I'm here."

"Then perhaps we'll see each there," Ema said, gracing him with a smile. "If you'll excuse me, I promised to meet a friend."

Feeling disappointed, Natsume waved as Ema left. He hoped he'd see her again at the palace.

~.~

The next day, Natsume finally ran into his triplets. He'd known it'd only be a matter of time. To his surprise neither of them paid any attention to him. They didn't even seem to be aware that he was there. Instead, they were in deep conversation with each other.

"Lord Asako said that he'd be pleased to issue a personal invitation to the peasants of his domain to visit the theater," Tsubaki was saying. "He even offered to help pay for the tickets to give them a lower price so that more could attend the theater."

Azusa nodded like this was welcome news. "Ukyo had a great idea when he talked about the theater bringing the different classes together. He's really happy with our idea of taking advantage of that fact and trying to make it happen more. And…she'll be really pleased with it."

Natsume could hardly believe his ears. Where his two triplets actually talking about trying to improve relations between peasants and nobles? Since when did the two of them do any work? Natsume couldn't ever remember either of them having the slightest bit of interest in government. Maybe he was misunderstanding the conversation? And who was the 'she' that Azusa was referring to?

"Yeah," Tsubaki agreed, blushing and scratching the back of his head. "She's really into the aristocracy trying to understand peasants better, and theater and culture is one of the best unifiers we have." Suddenly, a manic light entered Tsubaki's eye. "Hey, maybe we could perform in the theater! We're pretty good at acting. We do it all the time at court. I'm sure it'd attract even more people to the theater, nobles and peasants, if we were in a play."

Azusa looked slightly horrified at the idea. "Maybe we shouldn't go quite that far."

"Come on," Tsubaki cajoled. While the twins spoke, a young noblewoman with her hair pinned up in curls and a dress hanging off her shoulders sauntered past Tsubaki and Azusa. Just as with Natsume, the two seemed completely oblivious to her. Natsume had to force himself not to snicker at the look of indignation on the young woman's face as she turned and sauntered past his brothers again. Again, she got no reaction. This time, the woman put a possessive hand on Tsubaki's bicep and squeezed.

"Prince Tsubaki, Prince Azusa," she pouted, "I've been here for two whole days and neither of you have come to see me. You're not bored of me already are you?"

Tsubaki and Azusa both stared at the woman in blank surprise, as though she'd appeared out of nowhere. Gently, Tsubaki took hold of her hand and removed it from his arm. "You were a lovely distraction," Tsubaki told her softly, "but I'm afraid we have more important matters to attend to right now."

The woman gaped at them before her face reddened. She fisted her hands at her side and stuck her nose in the air before stomping away.

"All right, I can't take this anymore," Natsume said, drawing the twins' attention to him. "What in the world is going on here?"

"What do you mean, Natsume?" Azusa asked. "And when did you get here?"

"That's not important," Natsume brushed off. "Ukyo is supporting Masaomi sneaking off to the villages, Iori is refusing nobles' requests, Yusuke has stopped trying to become Subaru, and now you two are actually talking as though you're trying to do something productive. As though you're actually working. _And_ you refused the advances of a woman. I want an explanation. What in the world has changed in the last six months?"

Azusa and Tsubaki exchanged surprised glances. "All that has been going on?" Tsubaki asked. He exchanged another glance with Azusa, this time looking unhappy. "I bet it's her doing," he muttered. "We should have figured those losers were moving in on her too. I knew that Yusuke was interested, but he's such a child that I didn't think she'd give him the time of day."

"Of course she would," Azusa said with a sigh. "That's who she is. It's no surprise that our brothers have taken notice as well."

"Notice of what?" Natsume asked, irritated at being kept in the dark. Were Tsubaki and Azusa insinuating that all the changes he'd seen in his brothers was because of a woman? Who was this woman? And how had she made all these changes in brothers Natsume would have sworn would never change?

Tsubaki pursed his lips and looked Natsume up and down. "None of your business. What are you doing here anyway?"

Natsume sighed, used to this treatment from Tsubaki. At least some things hadn't changed. "Mother summoned me. Trust me, I wouldn't be here otherwise."

"Then do whatever it is she wants you to do and then go back home," Tsubaki said dismissively, turning back to Azusa. "Thinks are complicated enough without adding you to the mix."

~.~

The next day, Natsume tracked down Louis, hoping to get some answers out of the one the more rational of his brothers. He'd planned to speak to Louis the night before, but, to his delight, he'd run into Ema after dinner and spoke with her instead. They talked for an hour under the warm starry sky about their views on the aristocracy's responsibility towards peasants. Natsume didn't think he'd ever find anyone who agreed with him so closely. Or who seemed to eschew court politics as much as he did.

His thoughts were interrupted when he spotted Louis cutting flowers and arranging them in a vase. "Louis!" He called, getting his younger brother's attention.

Louis smiled when he saw him. "Natsume, it's been a while. What are you doing at the capital?"

Natsume's eyes narrowed in anger at the reminder of why he was there in the first place. "Mother's matchmaking attempts," he said with a grimace. "She's apparently taken a liking to Ambassador Rintaro's daughter and wants me to meet her."

Louis gave him a disapproving frown. "Ambassador's Rinator's daughter is kind girl. You wouldn't talk about her like that if you'd met her."

"Kind?" Natsume asked.

"Yes, kind," Louis said firmly. "I think that her being here is very good for our family. She's someone who understands what happens when royalty and nobility become too selfish and full of themselves. Because of that, because of her kindness and her understanding of the darker nature of power, she's been able to help some our brothers become better people."

Natsume paused for a moment. He'd heard that the aristocracy were worse in Istain. He wondered if perhaps the Ambassador's daughter was the 'she' Azusa had mentioned and if she was really the one who'd caused all these changes in his brothers…but he found it hard to believe. "I'm sure that she's been kind," Natsume scoffed. "If she wasn't she might be sent packing back to Istain. It's in her own self-interest for everyone to like her. It's more likely that she's a weak and frightened girl who ran away from her country and is now conniving her way into staying here."

He heard a gasp and turned to see Ema, pain in her eyes and a hand over her mouth. When Natsume looked at her, she turned and fled.

Natsume cast a bewildered look at Louis who gave Natsume a disappointed and disproving look.

"What, _that's_ the Ambassador's daughter?" Natsume demanded. "Lady Ema?"

Louis' look told Natsume that clearly that was the case. Natsume turned and chased after her.


	13. The Lord vs The Knight

**Chapter 12: The Lord vs. The Knight**

Natsume ran after Ema. "Wait!" He called. "I didn't realize it was you!"

He'd almost reached Ema when she whirled around to face him, tears in her eyes. "You think this is where I want to be? You think this is what I want to be doing? Uselessly walking around the gardens of a foreign palace while my country is torn apart? I have _no_ idea what's happening there. I don't know if my father's servants, the people who loved, cared for, and helped raise me are safe. I don't know where my father is or what sort of danger he's in. My _father_ sent me here, and I—"

"I didn't know you're the Ambassador's daughter, Lady Ema," Natsume interrupted, gripping Ema's arms to get her to listen to him. "I'm sorry for what I said. I had no idea I was talking about you. I thought I hadn't met the Ambassador's daughter."

"Why would you talk that way about someone you've never met?" Ema demanded angrily, clearly still upset.

Natsume released Ema's arms and took a step back. "I…" He tried to think of an answer to give, but really there was only one. Hanging his head he admitted, "I've become so jaded with the nobility that I always believe the worst of them. That's my default reaction."

"That's terrible," Ema said, shaking her head. "If you think of all nobles the same, how are you any different from the nobles who think of all peasants the same?" Natsume stared at her in surprise. Ema clenched her fists and stared off to the side. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"No, you're right," Natsume said, though he'd never thought of it that way before. "I can't claim to be different than them, to be any better than the nobles I can't stand if I'm behaving the exact same way, just towards a different set of people. Lady Ema, will you please forgive my stupidity?"

Ema nodded once and wiped at her eyes. "Yes, but I…I need to go now. I promised Prince Wataru that I'd meet him after he finished his studies for the day."

Natsume watched her leave, wondering if she truly did forgive him or if she was still hurt. Lady Ema was nothing at all like what he imagined the Ambassador's daughter to be.

He was so focused on his thoughts that when an arm clapped around his shoulders, he jumped. He turned to see a servant woman smirking at him. He looked at her in shock and confusion before he took in the long red hair and the mischievous quality of the smirk, meaning this 'servant woman' had to be—"Hikaru."

"Hello, little brother. Enjoying your trip home?"

Natsume glared at Hikaru, wondering how much of his conversation with Ema Hikaru had heard. Removing his arm, Hikaru said, "I'm sure you've been quite surprised at all the changes you've seen in our brothers. It almost seems miraculous, doesn't it? It's all because of her. Would you like to know how she did it?" Without waiting for Natsume's response, Hikaru leaned forward and said, "By believing the _best_ of everyone. She's inspired several of our brothers to _want_ to be better. She's an impressive little thing, isn't she? And now you went and hurt her feelings. Mother won't be pleased if she finds out."

"Why did Mom bring Lady Ema here?" Natsume asked, still glaring at Hikaru.

"Didn't she tell you? Ambassador Rintaro is such a dear friend of Mother's, and Mother knew Lady Ema when she was a little girl. She couldn't stand the thought of something happening to poor little Ema. It's a good thing too. Ambassador Rintaro has the closest ties of anyone in Istain to Koukidan and each of the twin princes desperately want Koukidan to get involved in the civil war in their favor. If Ema were still in Istian, she undoubtedly would have been kidnapped by now in an attempt to force the Ambassador to beg Koukidan for aid."

Natsume's blood ran cold at Hikaru's words. He hadn't realized that being Ambassador Rintaro's daughter would put Ema in so much danger. And he'd called her a coward for leaving Istain.

"Of course, I'm sure that's not the only reason," Hikaru said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. Natsume gritted his teeth over Hikaru's fake contemplative look. "I think Mother was quite impressed with Lady Ema's kindness and her strength of character. So much so that she wanted Lady Ema to join the family." A mocking smile curled Hikaru's lips. "Did you think Mother brought her here just for you? Personally, I don't think she's terribly picky about who Ema marries so long as it's one of her sons. Are you jealous, Natsume?"

"No," Natsume said, not sure if he was telling a lie or not. "I just wanted to understand Mother's motives." Hikaru smile secretively like he didn't believe Natsume for a moment.

~.~

"L-lady Ema?"

Ema turned and was surprised at the familiar face standing awkwardly behind her. "Prince Subaru!" Ema exclaimed, happy to see him. "What brings you back to the palace?"

Subaru smiled at Ema's greeting, a light blush covering his cheeks. "My knights and I were able to quell Losa's attempt to expand their borders," he explained. "Some of my mother's advisors will be meeting with the king of Losa to renegotiate trade between our countries and I'm here to escort them. My men and I will be watching over the advisors during the talks to make sure Losa doesn't try to harm them. I wanted to see you while I was here."

"I'm glad," Ema said with a pleased smile, then a look of concern crossed her face and she took a step closer to him. "You didn't get hurt this time, did you?"

"No," Subaru said, shaking his head as his blush deepened. "And my shoulder healed really well, thanks to you."

Now Ema blushed. "I just did basic medical aid. I really don't know that much."

"No, you did a really good job," Subaru argued. "Trust me, I've seen and dealt with a lot of healers."

"Thank you," Ema said, pleased and embarrassed.

Rubbing the back of his head, Subaru asked, "Would it be all right if I sat by you at dinner tonight?"

"Of course!"

~.~

Subaru looked both ways down the hall, wondering where Ema had gotten to. They'd had dinner together and Subaru had wanted to ask Ema if she'd like to take a walk through the gardens with him afterwards. He'd been too embarrassed and nervous to ask her during dinner and now he didn't know where she was.

Subaru knew that Ema loved the gardens, so he decided to go there and see if he could find her. The sky was already darkening when Subaru stepped outside and the sight before him made him sick. He stepped into the shadow of the doorway and watched Ema talk with _him_. Subaru hadn't even known that _he_ was at the palace. Anger burned through him and his hands curled into fists as he watched them talking. He couldn't make out Ema's expression, so he didn't know if she was happy talking to _him._ He certainly hoped not.

They only spoke for a few minutes, then Ema nodded at _him_ and left, going back into the palace through another door. Why had she nodded? Were they making plans to meet again later? Pushing those thoughts aside, Subaru strode forward. "Natsume!" He barked.

Natsume spun around and his eyes widened in surprise. "Subaru, I didn't know you were here."

"What's your interest in Lady Ema?" Subaru demanded, crossing his arms. Of all the men to see Ema with, why did it have to be Natsume?

"W-what?" Natsume asked, blinking.

Subaru narrowed his eyes. "A man who ran away from being a knight doesn't have the right to be with a woman since he wouldn't be able to protect her anyway. I asked what interest you have in Lady Ema. If it's anything other than platonic, you should stay away from her. For _her_ sake."

Natsume stared at Subaru in shock, though perhaps at this point he should have expected something like this to happen. Even Subaru had been affected by Ema. Subaru had never expressed interest in women before. He'd never expressed interest in anything other than knighthood. Natsume didn't know what to think. He couldn't get Hikaru's words about Queen Miwa wanting Ema to marry one of them out of his head. How would he feel about Subaru ending up with Ema?

"I'm only here for a few days. I'll be gone soon enough," Natsume said to evade answering Subaru's question. "Mom called me back for a visit and I've done what she asked. If you'll excuse me, it's been a long day and I'd like to get to bed." Natsume left and felt Subaru's eyes on him as he walked away. He couldn't help the pain that filled his heart at Subaru's suspicion and anger. There had been a time when Subaru and Natsume were closer to each other than anyone else. Natsume missed those days.

On the second floor balcony, Ema stared down at the two in concern. She hadn't overheard their conversation, but when she went upstairs to go to her rooms she couldn't help but hear the shouting coming from outside. She wondered what they had been arguing about.

"Admiring the view?" A voice asked.

Ema jumped and holding a hand to her heart turned to see Tsubaki and Azusa.

"Prince Tsubaki, Prince Azusa. I-I heard shouting," Ema admitted guiltily. "So I came out to see what was going on. Do you know why Prince Subaru and Lord Kishu don't like each other?"

"Lord Kishu?" Azusa asked tilting his head in confusion.

"Yes, Lord Kishu," Ema repeated. "The Lord of Kishu Province. He and Prince Subaru were arguing about something just now."

Tsbuaki and Azusa stared at Ema for a moment before a light came on in Tsubaki's eyes. "Ah! You mean Natsume."

"Natsume?"

"Yes. The Lord of Kishu Province is our triplet, Natsume."

Ema's mouth dropped open in shock.

~.~

Ema was sitting on a bench in the gardens the next morning when her new friend came upon her. She'd spoken with him for just a moment last night when he'd wanted to verify that Ema wasn't still upset with him and she'd assured him that wasn't.

"Hello. _Prince_ Natsume."

Natsume winced and froze. He'd looked like he'd been going to sit down next to Ema, but now he stayed where he was. "I-I can explain." Ema's eyebrows rose as she waited for his explanation. He rubbed the back of his neck and muttered to the side, "I've screwed up so many things with you." Turning back to Ema he explained, "It impressed me when I saw you in the village. I was really happy to find another noble who felt as I do—that it's our duty and privilege to look after peasants. I was afraid that if you knew who I was, you'd think I was another one of the useless Princes of Koukidan. I didn't want you to see me that way. I didn't exactlylie. I _am_ the Lord of Kishu Province and everyone there calls me Lord, not Prince."

Ema frowned at him. "I don't think any of the Princes of Koukidan are useless. I like your brothers."

"Well, they're not useless _now,_ " Natsume said, taking a seat next to Ema. He eyed Ema out of the corner of his eye, wanting to bring up the real reason he'd sought her out this morning. "My brother Subaru is at the palace right now. Have you met him yet?" Subaru cared for Ema, but did Ema feel the same way about him?

"Yes," Ema said hesitantly, looking a little uncomfortable. "I…heard the two of you arguing last night. Is everything okay between you two?"

Natsume fidgeted and looked off into the distance. "Years ago, back when I still lived at the palace, I was training to become a knight. Subaru really admired that. He didn't feel connected with any of our other brothers, and we become really close, especially when Subaru started his own training to become a knight."

Natsume sighed. "I still feel it's honorable to become a knight, but I didn't feel like I could become one without getting involved in the aristocracy's petty squabbles. They call in knights and demand their aid for the most selfish of things, so I left that life and ran away from the capital instead, becoming the Lord of Kishu Province. I think that Subaru is a stronger person than me though, and that he can deal with squabbling nobles without letting himself be dragged down to their level. So far it seems like he hasn't been influenced by the aristocracy and I'm really proud of him for it. Subaru, however, was devastated when I gave up becoming a knight. He's hated me ever since and thought of me as weak. I can't blame him."

"Have you told Subaru any of what you just told me?" Ema asked.

Natsume shook his head. "Becoming a knight meant everything to Subaru. I didn't want him to think—"

"I told you to stay away from her!" Natsume and Ema both jumped and looked up to see a furious Subaru. He was breathing heavy and his fists were clenched at his sides. "What do you think you're doing, Natsume?"

"Prince Subaru!" Ema exclaimed, standing up. "Why are you so upset?"

"This doesn't concern you!" Subaru exclaimed.

"Don't speak to her like that," Natsume said, also standing up. "You can be mad at me all you want, but don't take it out on Lady Ema."

Subaru stared at the ground in shame. "I'm leaving this morning," he muttered. "I just wanted to say good-bye." He turned and left.

Natsume sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You should go after him," he told Ema. "If you don't, Subaru will stew about yelling at you until he sees you again. Despite us not being close anymore, I know him better than anyone and I know he already regrets treating you like that."

Ema nodded once and hurried after Subaru. She caught up with him in the palace's entrance hall. "Prince Subaru!" She called.

Subaru turned, a half-regretful, half-hopeful look on his face.

"You didn't really say good-bye," Ema told him. "And you didn't tell me when I'll see you again."

"I'm not sure when it'll be," Subaru said. "I don't know how long the talks between Koukidan's advisors and the King of Losa will last…but I'm sorry, Lady Ema. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I don't…always think clearly when it comes to Natsume. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Ema said, pausing for a moment before adding, "I don't have any siblings of my own, but I feel like even when it's tough, siblings should still try to understand each other. Family is an important relationship, after all."

Subaru gave a sad laugh. "That's rarely happened in my family. There's almost nothing us brothers agree on. Good-bye, Lady Ema. I hope I'll see you soon."

~.~

Natsume left the next day and Ema hoped it wasn't because of the fight he'd had with Subaru. Before leaving, Natsume told Ema he thought it might be difficult having to put up with his brothers all the time and told her to write to him if she ever needed anything.

~.~

"Queen Mai's child survived?!" Lord Watabe exclaimed. "Why wasn't this child raised in secret to become the next ruler?"

"Queen Mai wanted her child safe," Rintaro said in a harsh tone. "Raising her to be queen, raising her to be a _threat_ to the king and his sons, would not have kept her safe."

"Then she was thinking as a mother and not as a queen," Commander Rao said. "Understandable, but…ultimately the wrong choice, I feel."

"Wanted to keep 'her' safe?" Lord Watabe echoed. "The true heir is a girl?" The room sat in silence as people pondered that fact, then Watabe burst out, "Well she must be put on the throne! The people of Istain need a unifying voice and surely the daughter of Queen Mai would be able to provide that. Lord Rintaro, I'm sure you feel like you must protect the heir to honor Queen Mai's memory, but keeping her from the throne is an _insult_ to her memory, to the memory of the true bloodline of the royal family!"

Commander Rao looked at Lord Watabe out of the corner of his eye, wondering why the young man had fixated on the heir being a girl. Why would he care either way? Though their group as a whole had decided to allow Watabe to join and Watabe's resources had been a benefit to their cause, his presence still made Rao nervous. Watabe's father was a trusted advisor of Prince Maru, after all. He couldn't forget that fact.


	14. Court Life

**Chapter 13: Court Life**

"I'm sure everyone will enjoy meeting you," Lord Natsu Onigunu said happily as he offered Ema his arm. "They're all excited that you'll be sitting with us at tonight's banquet."

Ema gave Natsu a weak smile as she took his arm. Natsu had not forgotten his invitation for Ema to spend time with him and his friends and the moment Queen Miwa announced another banquet, Natsu asked if he could be Ema's escort. Ema wanted to give Natsu's friends the benefit of the doubt and believe that they really were excited to meet her, but she'd seen who Natsu considered his friends and they most certainly were _not_ friendly to Ema. She had the terrible feeling that tonight would be nothing but misery, but tried to tell herself that this was an opportunity to get to know some of the occupants of the castle better.

Natsu's noblemen friends all greeted her politely enough when she and Natsu sat down, but the girls couldn't seem to stop a slight sneer from covering their faces as they looked at Ema and examined her Istainian dress. The conversation between the men quickly turned to hunting and the stresses and annoyances that came with being aristocracy. The girls twittered and gossiped about who was courting or sleeping with who and who they wanted to secure for a marriage match.

Ema paid more attention to her food than to either conversation, unsurprised that she seemed to have nothing in common with these people, but disappointed regardless. When Ema sat with other nobility, it often resulted in her staring silently at her food. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard one of the girls sneer, "Of course the Istainian didn't answer your question, she's too good for us."

Ema flushed as she said, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. What did you ask?" She looked uncertainly between the girls, not sure who had asked her the question.

A girl in a lilac dress rolled her eyes. "I suppose it's understandable," she said sarcastically. "We're just too boring for her after she's used to taking up all the princes' time. I asked you what it was like to slum with the nobles since you're usually with one of the princes."

"You can only marry one of them, you know," another girl said bitingly. "Assuming any of them would marry an Istainian and aren't just kind to you out of pity since you're country's at war. Either way, you shouldn't spend so much time with so many of the princes…People will start to talk, you know."

"Talk about what?" Ema asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

The girls stared at Ema like she was stupid and the conversation between Natsu and his other friends died out as they looked over to see what was going on. Ema felt her cheeks flame as she wondered what she'd missed.

She was desperately wishing she could disappear when two hands landed on her shoulders and a smooth voice said, "My, my, what poisonous words. And spoken to a special guest of the Queen herself. You must not value your positions here very much."

The girls went pale and one of them stammered, "P-prince Hikaru, we were just—"

Upon hearing the name Hikaru, Ema quickly turned to see the one prince she had yet to meet. Above her stood a handsome man with long auburn hair pulled back into a ponytail. He smiled down at her and removed his hands from her shoulders, offering her one of his hands to help her stand. Moving his gaze back to the girls he said, "Perhaps if you spent more time improving yourselves and less time in spiteful jealously, you might catch the attention of someone worthwhile as well."

The girls flushed and Hikaru gave them a brilliant smile before leading Ema away. "It's a bit stifling in here, don't you think? Why don't we go for a walk in the cool night air instead?" He led her out of the dining hall without waiting for a response.

"O-okay," Ema murmured, glancing up at Prince Hikaru. Something about him seemed familiar, but Ema shook the thought off after a moment. Though she hadn't met Prince Hikaru before tonight, she'd probably seen him around the castle before. Of course he seemed familiar.

Hikaru smiled down at Ema when they reached outside and stopped walking. "I apologize that you've been here so long and I've yet to introduce myself. I didn't mean to wait so long, but the time got away from me."

"That's all right," Ema said, wondering what Hikaru did that kept him busy. "But I'm glad I got to meet you tonight."

"Likewise. What do you think of life at Koukidan Palace?"

Ema looked glumly at the ground. "As you saw, I don't fit in very well with the aristocracy. I don't think I ever will. Not here and not in Istain."

"You seem to be doing a good job of getting along with my brothers," Hikaru commented, watching Ema's face. "Since you've managed to do that, despite their varied personalities, perhaps you can charm nobles too one day. It takes practice, to be sure, but I'm sure you can do it since you've so naturally befriended my brothers and the villagers."

Ema looked up from the ground to give Hikaru a curious stare, wondering how he knew she was friends with the villagers. Maybe Masaomi had told him.

A servant came and whispered something in Hikaru's ear. Hikaru sighed as the servant left and said, "Duty calls, I'm afraid. I apologize I was only able to spend a few minutes with you, Lady Ema. I hope that my rescuing you from a dull dinner party makes up for the short length of our visit." He winked at Ema and she was unable to help the grin she gave him in return as he walked away.

Ema sighed and looked up at the night sky, wondering if Hikaru was right and someday Ema would get along with other nobles better. She couldn't help but feel that unless the culture and personality of nobles drastically changed, such a thing was impossible.

"I'm not so sure I'd be overly eager to get along with the nobility if I were you," a deep voice said. Ema turned to see Kaname walking towards her. He gave her an apologetic smile and said, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your and Hikaru's conversation, I just came out for some fresh air. Anyway, I think you should be happy, not depressed that you can't relate to other nobles. It's a sign that you're not like them."

"Is that you why you don't involve yourself much in governing?" Ema asked, studying Kaname curiously. "Because you don't want to become like other nobles?"

Instead of answer her, Kaname craned his neck to look at the back of Ema's neck. "What's this heart-shaped mark?" He asked, lightly brushing it with his fingers.

"Oh, that." Ema covered it with a hand self-consciously. "It's just a birthmark. I normally wear my hair down so it's not visible, but Lesa insisted I wear my hair up tonight."

Kaname gently took Ema's hand and moved it away from her neck. "Don't cover it up, Lady Ema. I think it's charming."

Ema blushed before realizing that Kaname had just completely changed the conversation. She wondered if she'd been right in her guess or if there was another reason Kaname chose not to involve himself much in court politics.

Kaname looked up at the sky and sighed. "If I don't get back soon I'm going to be missed. Goodnight, Lady Ema."

"Good night, Prince Kaname," Ema called softly. She had just turned to go to her room and retire for the night when she heard running footsteps behind her. She looked over to see Lord Natsu, slightly out of breath.

"There you are, Lady Ema," he said, sounding relieved. "I wanted to find you and apologize. I didn't know my friends would speak to you like that. I guess they're jealous of all the attention you get from the princes, but that's not your fault, of course. I'm sorry."

Ema shrugged uncomfortably. "I'm sure many young women are sent here by their fathers with the hope that they'll catch the eye of one of the princes. They see me as a threat to that goal. I'm not, though. I want to go back to Istain."

"Speaking of Istain," Natsu said quietly, his eyes lighting up in excitement as he moved closer to Ema, "I've heard word from my cousin that Queen Mai's child might have survived her death."

"What?!" Ema exclaimed. "I thought the Queen and the child both died the same night."

"So did most people," Natsu said conspiratorially. "But there are those who say that the child was taken to protect her from Queen Mai's brother. He wanted to be king and the only thing standing in his way after the Queen's death was her daughter."

"Daughter?" Ema questioned. "She had a daughter?"

Natsu nodded, his eyes wide. "You're sure you've never heard anything about this before? Your father was very close to Queen Mai. He might know about it."

"Why would an ambassador know about something like that?" Ema asked.

Natsu shrugged. "Like I said, he was close to the Queen. Maybe you should ask your father about it. I've told you that my family supports the younger of the twin princes, Prince Maru. I'm sure he'd be interested in learning about the Queen's daughter. He's only trying to become king because he knows that his impulsive brother would be a disaster on the throne. If he found out there was a true bloodline heir to the throne, I know that he would support her."

~.~

Ema walked around the castle in a distracted daze the next day. Queen Mai had died before Ema was born, but Ema had still heard about it. The people had loved and respected Queen Mai, especially compared to her brother. The story Ema had always heard was that the Queen died in childbirth and that the child was stillborn. Was it possible that the child survived, or was this just a rumor started by desperate Istainians who wanted the civil war to end?

She was so caught up in her thoughts that when Masaomi passed her and greeted her good morning she responded, "Good morning, Masa." Ema gasped, putting a hand to her mouth and quickly looking around to make sure no one had heard her mistake. "I'm so sorry, Prince Masaomi," Ema apologized. She rarely spoke to Masaomi at the palace and was used to calling him Masa, but that was hardly appropriate when he was acting as the crown prince rather than a merchant benefactor in the village.

"It's all right, Lady Ema," Masaomi assured Ema, holding his hands out in a calming gesture. "I prefer for you to call me that." He paused before suddenly looking awkward and saying, "I have a few free moments this morning. If you have the time, would you like to take tea with me?"

"Yes," Ema said, happy about the invitation, but still terribly embarrassed over her slip-up. What if someone had heard? How would it look for a foreigner to address the crown prince of Koukidan so familiarly?

Masaomi tried to calm Ema down as they had tea, knowing that she felt guilty for calling him Masa instead of Prince Masaomi. He wished she didn't. He hadn't been lying when he told her he preferred it when she called him Masa. To get Ema's mind on other things, he talked about the village and the villagers and the two of them happily discussed the people they mutually cared for and their needs.

Masaomi wished that things between them could always be informal like they were when they visited the village together. Having Ema by his made him happier than almost anything. More than once he'd wanted to tell her that. That he wanted her by his side not just as his friend and humanitarian companion, but as more than that. That he always wanted her by his side, but he didn't dare for fear that Ema would feel pressured to accept his feelings. How could any woman be expected to say no to the crown prince? No, it was better for him to keep his feelings to himself. He wanted Ema to be happy and be with someone she loved.


	15. Family Ties

**Chapter 14: Family Ties**

"I need to know that I can rely on you completely," Commander Rao said to Rintaro in a far more gentle tone than he usually used. "I know that this situation is difficult, for you in particular, but I need you to tell me the truth."

Rintaro sighed, sweat beading on his forehead. He had feared this day for so long, had hoped and prayed that it would never come. "Yes," he admitted. "Queen Mai entrusted her daughter to my care the night she died. I was the one who took her from the palace. She is alive and well."

Outside the room, Lord Watabe stifled a gasp. The Queen placed the true heir with Lord Rintaro? He had figured that Rintaro had to know what had happened to the heir, but he hadn't guessed that Rintaro himself had taken her. That thought sent the wheels of his mind turning. Lord Rintaro's daughter was the same age as the heir would be…and no one had ever seen or met Lord Rintaro's wife. Rintaro had claimed that he'd married in secret because his wife's father opposed their marriage, but that the wife than died in childbirth. Watabe had never questioned that story. Until now.

~.~

"If you have time this afternoon, why don't you come with me for a picnic?" Ema asked Fuuto.

"Why would I want to do that?" Fuuto asked lazily, tilting his head.

"Because the weather is finally cooling down a little," Ema said. "It's so perfect outside right now, and wouldn't it be nice to get away from the palace for a little while? You don't seem as busy today and you often complain about how you can never get away from the nobles."

Fuuto quirked one eyebrow and smirked. "Are you sure it's not just because you want to spend time with me?"

"Of course I enjoy spending time with you," Ema said automatically with an innocent smile.

Fuuto's heart skipped a beat. "Fine," he agreed with a sigh, not looking at Ema. "I suppose I don't have anything better to do anyway."

~.~

"This is _not_ what I had in mind when you invited me for a picnic," Fuuto said in a flat voice several hours later. He and Ema had ridden a carriage to a grassy field by a river a few miles from the palace. He'd been a little surprised when Ema didn't bring anything with them, but merely assumed she'd arranged for palace servants to set everything up. Instead, they'd arrived to find large blankets spread out on the ground, a sumptuous meal…and several of his brothers. The twins, Masaomi, Ukyo, Hikaru, Louis, Iori, Yusuke, and Wataru. Every prince living at the palace except for Kaname.

"You think _you're_ not happy?" Tsubaki asked in an irritated tone. "Azusa and I invited Ema to come with us, but Ukyo, Iori, and Louis overheard and invited themselves and somehow it grew into this."

Despite Tsubaki's words and tone, Azusa felt that Tsubaki was actually happy to have an audience who wouldn't bow and scrape to him and even more pleased that he got to claim credit for coming up with the picnic idea, which most of their brothers had enthusiastically embraced once they learned Ema was coming. A fact that Azusa found very interesting.

Ema was pleased to note how well the picnic seemed to be going. She didn't see a lot of the brothers spend time together very often and had little idea of how they all got along. She'd both been excited and a little nervous for most of them to get together, but everyone seemed to be having a good time.

They were halfway through the picnic when another carriage rode up. "Who in the world would interrupt _our_ picnic?" Tsubaki asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Maybe it's an emergency at the palace," Ukyo said, standing up. "Something might have happened."

Tsubaki rolled his eyes. "The palace can function without you for one entire afternoon, Ukyo."

Ukyo glared down at Tsubaki, but they were all surprised when the driver opened the carriage door and Kaname stepped out. He sauntered over to them and they all watched silently as he walked.

"Kaname!" Wataru exclaimed excitedly, moving over to make room for him. "Welcome to our picnic! We still have lots of food. Why are you late though?"

Ema smiled, surprised and happy to see him there. When she'd told him about the picnic, he'd said that it was a nice idea, but that he already had plans.

Kaname shrugged. "I had nothing to do, so I decided to drop by. The woman I was supposed to meet couldn't manage to get away this afternoon."

Ukyo flushed as he sat back down. "Don't be so crass, Kaname," he snapped. "Especially not in front of Lady Ema and Wataru. You can at least act like you have some decorum and were raised in a place instead of a –" Ukyo cut himself off awkwardly, mumbling something unintelligible and focusing on his plate. Ema wondered what he'd been going to say.

Kaname smirked at Ukyo, not taking his eyes off him. Wanting to break up the tension somehow, Ema said, "Louis will you please pass me the fruit plate?" Ema immediately realized what she'd done and her eyes widened in horror. Maybe no one would notice—

"'Louis'?" Tsubaki echoed, looking at Ema. "'Louis' and not 'Prince Louis'? Why do you talk to him without any titles?" He asked petulantly.

"I...well I…" Ema really didn't know how to answer that question.

"Because we're friends," Louis said calmly, passing Ema the fruit and giving her a gentle smile. "We've been friends ever since we met. Ema has never used my title other than the very first time she spoke to me."

"And you call her without any titles?" Azusa asked lightly, his chest tight.

"We're her friends too!" Tsubaki said. "Are you spending more time with Louis than me and Azusa, Ema?" Tsubaki demanded, purposefully omitting her title. "How long has this being going on for?" Tsubaki recalled how he'd first viewed and treated Ema and knew he wasn't being fair…but it still upset him.

"Ema doesn't call me prince either!" Wataru chirped happily. "Because we're close friends."

Ema resisted the urge to put a hand to her face as her eyes moved to Masaomi. He smiled at her, but said nothing.

"How many of us do you speak to without using their title?" Tsubaki asked, crossing his arms.

"Um…Wataru and Louis asked me not to call them prince. I didn't start doing it on my own."

"Ema doesn't call me prince very often either," Masaomi admitted, bringing many surprised pairs of eyes to him. "Also at my request."

"Then I don't want you to call me prince," Tsubaki said. "Azusa and I don't like it."

"Tsubaki," Azusa chastised. True, he felt the same way as Tsubaki, but he didn't want to make Ema feel uncomfortable. And Tsubaki was acting childishly besides. "They _asked_ Lady Ema not to use their titles, they didn't demand it."

"I wouldn't mind you calling me without my title," Iori said, smiling at Ema. "You're an important part of our lives and as close to me as some of my brothers." And closer than others of them. "Of course, I understand if it's more comfortable for you to use our titles around other people."

"I think it would just cause more trouble if I didn't," Ema said hanging her head in exasperation. Many Koukidan nobles were already jealous enough of the time Ema spent with the princes.

"Y-you don't have to use my title," Yusuke said, blushing and looking at the ground. He wished he'd known some of his brothers had told Ema not to use their titles. He should have thought of it. Of course they'd feel closer to each other if they didn't refer to each other as 'prince' and 'lady', though the thought of them just calling each other by their names made him blush even more.

"I'm not sure how appropriate—" Ukyo started to say.

"It's okay, Ukyo," Tsubaki interrupted. "No one asked what you thought so you don't have to worry about whether it's appropriate or not."

"Prince Ukyo does have a point," Ema said uncertainly. "I'm not part of the royal family, and not even a member of the Koukidan aristocracy." Though it had embarrassed her at first and still did sometimes, she liked talking to Louis, Wataru, and Masaomi without using their titles, though she understood the possible impropriety of doing such a thing.

"Our brother Ukyo has a tendency to get too caught up in rules and policy to actually remember to live," Hikaru told Ema. "Don't pay him any mind."

Ukyo flushed, angry about being put down in front of Ema. "I was just going to say that Lady Ema was right about it not being the best idea for her to omit our titles in front of other people. It could give them the wrong impression." Blushing furiously, he turned to Ema and said, "You're welcome to call me without any titles as well." He would _not_ lose out to his brothers in growing closer to Ema.

"Okay!" Wataru exclaimed excitedly, jumping to his knees and holding up his hands to count on his fingers. "So, Masaomi, Ukyo, Tsubaki, Azusa, Louis, Iori, Yusuke, and me will all call Ema by her name and she'll call us by our names!"

"Why are you so excited by this?" Tsubaki asked, staring at Wataru.

"Because all this makes us even more like a family!" Wataru said happily. "We never did stuff like this with all of us together before Ema came. Isn't it fun?" Wataru understood that his brothers were usually too busy with important things to give him much attention, but it was still hard. He loved having Ema at the palace to have someone to listen to him and talk to him more often. He was sure that having Ema around was just like it would be to have an older sister.

"You're right," Tsubaki said softly, thinking of the past.

"When Dad was around, Mom would gather all of us together like this for activities once in a while, but she stopped after he died," Azusa commented. Wataru, of course, wasn't old enough to remember those times. Azusa himself hadn't thought of those times for a very long while. He'd been closer to all his brothers back then, not just Tsubaki. How had all of them grown apart so easily?

Masaomi smiled at them all, happier than he'd been in a long time. He hadn't thought anything could make him as happy as when he was helping the villagers, but he thought that this moment right now just might beat it. Wataru was right that it was only because of Ema that the family had drawn together like this. He was more grateful for it than he could possibly say.

~.~

When Ema returned to the palace, she felt happier than she had since leaving Istain. She loved her time in the villages of Koukidan, but she'd missed feeling like she was part of a family. Sometimes she still felt so isolated in Koukidan, but she hadn't today. She hoped that everyone could get together like they had today again.

The smile on Ema's face faded slightly when she saw a servant standing outside her rooms. "Excuse me, may I help you with something?"

The servant looked up at Ema and gave her a nod. "Queen Miwa would like to speak with you, Lady Ema. You're to come with me."

Ema followed silently, wondering what the occasion was. The servant led Ema inside an office and then bowed before leaving.

At the windows behind the desk stood Queen Miwa. She gave Ema an unreadable look before asking her to sit down. Ema slowly sat down in a chair on the other side of the desk, clutching her hands together. Something was off about the Queen today. Ema again feared she may have done something to upset Queen Miwa.

"Lady Ema," Queen Miwa said, her voice tight as she came around the desk. She leaned against the desk and looked into Ema's eyes. "I've just received word from Istian. I'm afraid—" Her voice caught and she had to stop talking. Ema was alarmed to see what looked like tears in the Queen's eyes. "I have received word that your father was killed in the conflict in Istain."

"What?" Ema whispered in horror, thinking she had to have somehow misheard Miwa.

Miwa kneeled down and took Ema's hands in her own. "I'm so sorry, Lady Ema. I just heard the news today." She tightened her hands around Ema. "I want you to know that you will _always_ have a place in home, Lady Ema. I don't want you to go _anywhere_."

Silent tears fell down Ema's face and Miwa pulled Ema into her arms. Despite Miwa's original reasons for bringing Ema to Koukidan, she was so grateful that she'd done so. She would hate for Ema to be in Istain right now dealing with the death of her father all alone. Assuming she wouldn't have already been taken by one of the twin princes' forces.


	16. Home

**Chapter 15: Home**

Ema spent the entire night she learned of her father's death wide awake as she lay in bed. Lesa had brought her soothing tea to help her sleep, but Ema couldn't bring herself to touch it.

How could this have happened? Why hadn't her father been honest with her about what was going on in Istain, about the danger he faced? Then maybe she would have been prepared for this. Ema tried to erase those thoughts from her mind. There was no reason or point in blaming her father, and his death would have been equally devastating regardless of how much danger Ema thought he was in.

But still…none of her father's letters indicated that he'd taken a side in the civil war, so why had he been killed? Was it because he hadn't taken a side? Or was it just because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time? She wished she at least knew the circumstances of his death. Not even knowing how or why her father died seemed to make it worse somehow. She kept imagining terrible scenarios of her father dying in pain all alone.

Her mind also turned to the other people she cared about in Istain. What had happened to them? What _would_ happen to them? She hadn't heard from Juli in a while. Did that mean something had happened to him or that he'd been forced to flee the estate?

The whole ordeal of coming to Istain had been difficult for Ema, but she'd never felt so helpless and hopeless in her life.

Meanwhile, in a room high up in the castle, Miwa told her sons of the Ambassador's death. They sat in stunned silence at the news, every one of their thoughts turning to Ema.

~.~

"Ema," Tsubaki said earnestly as they sat together in one of the sitting rooms, untouched tea on the table in front of them, "please stay here. It's not safe for you to return to a warring country. What's left for you in Istain now?"

"What about my father's people?" Ema asked, trying to push down the hysteria threatening to overwhelm her. "What about all the people under his protection? The villagers and the estate servants. What will happen to them now that my father's gone? There's no one there to look after them. Either someone else will move in to take advantage of them, or it will be pillaged. My country is in a state of unrest, they won't be safe."

Tsubaki took Ema's hands in his own and gently said, "There's nothing you can do save them. I know that's not what you want to hear, Ema, but you'll only put yourself in danger. You going there won't deter another lord from taking over, or bandits from pillaging the village." He felt desperate to keep Ema in Koukidan. He was sure that there truly was nothing left in Istain for Ema now. If she went, she'd likely end up dead. Or worse. He couldn't let that happen.

Tsubaki pulled Ema into his arms and held her tightly, letting her cry on his shoulder. " _Please_ think of Koukidan as your home instead," he whispered. "You mean so much to me and my brothers. We want you to stay and live here. Let _us_ be your family."

Ema didn't know what to say. A part of her knew that Tsubaki was right, but how could she do nothing to help the people she loved in Istain?

~.~

Iori tried not to tap his feet impatiently as the meeting about new economic sanctions against Losa droned on, but he couldn't focus. How could he worry about punishing an enemy that Koukidan had already subdued when Ema was hurting so much?

He had no idea what she was thinking right now. She planned to stay in Koukidan, right? It would be too dangerous for her to return to Istain. It would be suicide.

When yet another nobleman interrupted Ukyo to say that the sanctions weren't harsh enough, Iori stood up. Everyone around the room looked at him in surprise.

"Yes, Iori?" Ukyo asked, his brow furrowed in surprised concern. "What is it?"

"I'm afraid I have another engagement I must attend to," Iori said. "Please pardon my interruption and continue." He bowed his head at Ukyo before leaving and going straight to Ema's rooms.

"Hello, Lady Ema," he said softly when she opened the door. Her eyes were red and she looked exhausted. "I was wondering if you wanted someone to talk to. I'd understand if you wanted to be alone, of course." He hesitated, ready to walk away if that was what she wanted.

Ema looked so numb. She merely stood aside to allow Iori to come in. He took a seat on the couch, throwing Ema concerned looks. Ema sat a seat away from him, saying nothing. Iori decided to talk instead.

"I was fourteen when my father died, just a few years younger than you." Ema looked over in surprise, obviously not expecting this. "Father was…magnanimous. He was unlike anyone I've ever met. Everyone loved to be around him. He had a way of making you feel like whatever you were saying was of the utmost importance to him, and he had a way of commanding the attention of an entire room without trying. He didn't need a crown to prove that he was king, you could just sense it from his bearing."

Iori looked down at his hands and smiled sadly. "Even with his duties as king, he somehow managed to make time for his children and he worked to make sure we were there for each other too. Mother…was not so good at all that. She loves us, of course, but family unity was Father's strength, not hers. She's always been better at frightening the nobles into doing whatever she feels is best. When Father passed away, I felt like a piece of me had died. There was a light in the palace that went with him." He looked at Ema. "I know that I wasn't in the same situation as you are now. I was in my own country, my own home, and I had family around me, even if I wasn't very close to them, but your father was the only family you had."

"It wasn't just him," Ema argued softly. "The staff of my father's estate was like family to me too. They helped raise me and take care of me. They were always there for me…Now I don't even know where they are or if they're okay."

"I hope you don't feel like you're all alone," Iori said. "I hope…you know there are people here who care about you."

Ema nodded. "The royal family has been very kind to me, and Queen Miwa said that I was welcome to remain here."

Iori noted that Ema didn't say she actually would stay.

~.~

The next day, Masaomi finally freed up time to see Ema. "Is there anything I can do for you?" He asked her, feeling helpless and wanting to take her pain away. He couldn't imagine what she must be feeling, having lost her father and having no other family to turn to.

Ema looked up at him and a small light seemed to enter her eyes. "I think that the best thing right now would be to forget myself. Crying over my father won't bring him back and he wouldn't want me to wallow in pity, that's not how he raised me. I want to go to the orphanage and check on the children." Ema felt much better having a purpose in mind. She'd done nothing for two days and that was exactly the wrong thing to do a time like this. Doing nothing left her free to torture herself with thoughts of how her father died and the dismal state of her country.

"I'll go with you," Masaomi stated firmly.

Ema felt both relief and guilt at his words. She wanted him to go with her, but he was the crown prince. He had more important things to do than comfort a sad friend. "Are you sure?" She asked him, biting her lip.

"Yes," he answered without hesitation. "Ukyo can cover any meetings I need to attend." He gave Ema a small, lopsided smile. "That's what he usually does when I run off to the villages."

~.~

"Why are you sad today?" Keiko, the little girl Ema had helped her first time at the orphanage asked.

"Am I sad?" Ema asked. She'd felt that she'd done a fairly good job of covering it up, and being here _did_ make her feel better. Many of the children, despite their situation, were carefree as they ran around the yard of the orphanage. Ema found it heartening to watch them.

"Your eyes are sad," Keiko said, pointing to her own eyes.

Ema looked down at Kieko in surprise as Makoto, who'd heard the conversation, came over. "What's wrong, Ema?" He asked. The children knew about titles, but such things meant little to them and Ema certainly didn't care.

Ema opened her mouth and closed it again without saying anything. Should she tell them, or should she say that everything was all right? She thought of how she felt about her father treating her like she couldn't handle what was really going on in Istain and telling her nothing. She kneeled down next to the two children. "My father…died a few days ago. I'm an orphan now, like you."

"Does that mean you're going to come live here?" Makoto asked, a tinge of excitement in his voice as he put a hand an Ema's knee.

"That's not what you're supposed to say!" Keiko chastised, smacking the back of Makoto's head, but then she turned expectant eyes to Ema, clearly expecting an answer.

"No, I won't be coming here," Ema told them with a small laugh. "I'm old enough that I can take care of myself." Of course, with her father's estate and money unprotected, Ema was now completely dependent upon Queen Miwa.

"I wish I was old enough to take care of myself," Makoto grumbled, crossing his arms and looking at the ground.

"But then you wouldn't have met Keiko and your other friends here," Ema said, ruffling Makoto's hair. "And someday you'll be old enough to take care of yourself. You still have a lot to learn before then, so be good for the matron of the orphanage, okay?"

"Yeah, I guess," Makoto said, scuffing a foot on the ground.

~.~

Ema and Masaomi were quiet as they walked back to the carriage. Ema felt much better than she had before coming to the village. Despite the things she'd lost recently, her father, her country, the servants she loved and the people under her father's protection, she still had a lot to be grateful for. She was safe and had a home with people who cared about her.

"I want to live at the palace and help the villagers," Ema announced. "I think…it's time I started making Koukidan my new home."

Masaomi gave Ema a surprised look. "I'm glad." He didn't know what else to say. Ema staying meant so much more to him than simply making him happy. Koukidan Palace felt more like home with her in it. His brothers felt more like a family than they had in a long time with her there…but it felt wrong to say any of that. Though Masaomi felt grateful Ema was staying, the circumstances that led to it broke his heart. "What made you decide to stay? If you don't mind me asking."

"You and today did," Ema said.

A blush crawled across Masaomi's face. "Me?"

Ema smiled at him and he was relieved to see it look like a real smile, not a faked one. "This was exactly what I needed. To come here and be reminded of the good that I can do here, of the people that I can help. I wouldn't have found all this, wouldn't have known how to be myself and do what I love most, helping others, here in Koukidan if you hadn't let me come with you and help with all that you do in the village. Thank you, Masa. For today especially."

Ema stopped walking and hugged Masaomi. After a moment, he returned the hug. Ema ignored the voice in the back of her head telling her that it was wrong, that it was inappropriate, for her to hug the crown prince. Ema was grateful for Masaomi's comfort, grateful for being able to help in the village, and grateful that he understood her and her desire to help others so well. Masaomi was her favorite person to be around. He was one of the best men she'd ever met and she loved the way she felt around him.

Ema pulled away from the hug to smile up at Masaomi to say, "Let's go home, Masa."

~.~

It was late that evening when Ema heard a knock on her door. She wondered which of the princes it would be. She'd encountered at least half of them in the past two days. They all seemed to want to make sure she was okay, which she appreciated.

To her surprise, it wasn't one of the princes on the other side of the door. It was Natsu Onigunu. He was out of breath and his hair was tousled. His clothes looked like he'd thrown them on in hurry.

"Lord Natsu, what's wrong?" Ema asked in alarm.

"Lady Ema," Natsu panted, still out of breath. "You must come with me. I've heard a rumor that your father is alive from a man that worked by his side against the conflict in Istain. I believe him about your father, however, time is of the essence. Your father's life is still in great danger and we must leave _now._ "

Ema looked at the room behind her, as though there was something she might grab or something she should do first.

"Lady Ema," Natsu implored. "Ambassador Rintaro is too important for us to dawdle. Your _father_ is too important."

Ema stepped out of her room and Natsu grabbed her hand, taking off at a run. As she ran the thought crossed her mind that she should have left a note for Lesa to give to the princes, but the thought quickly fled. _Alive._ Could her father really be alive? Was he injured somewhere, having been secreted away by friends after someone tried to kill him?

Outside the palace, a carriage awaited and Natsu handed Ema inside. A man already sat within.

Natsu introduced Ema as Rintaro's daughter, then said, "Lady Ema, this is my cousin from Istain that I told you about before, Lord Watabe."

 **Lakshana:** I hope you get better rest now that I've updated! Though maybe this cliffhanger doesn't really make things better…


	17. Prince Maru

**Chapter 16: Prince Maru**

It was deep into the night when Lord Watabe's carriage entered Istain. They had not talked much so far. The carriage was traveling at such break-neck speeds that Ema had to continually hold onto the handle of the carriage door or risk being thrown onto the floor. As it was, she kept bumping into Natsu, though he tried to help steady her.

"How do you know my father, Lord Watabe?" Ema asked after she got somewhat used to the violent rattling of the carriage. The wheels hit another rock and Ema smacked her head against the back of her seat.

Lord Watabe winced in sympathy. "I apologize for the roughness of the ride, Lady Ema, but time really is of the essence. I know you're father because we are part of the same organization, a group that supports neither of the princes, but is instead fighting for what is best for Istain."

"That's what my father's been doing?" Ema asked, feeling pride for her father for not choosing the easy path and siding with one of the twin princes, but instead looking into all possible answers. No wonder he hadn't told her anything about what he was doing. If the letters had been intercepted, the organization might have been discovered and the princes would have attacked it.

"Yes," Lord Watabe said, giving Ema a small smile. "Your father is one of the leaders of the organization. When the king died and it was revealed that he had not chosen an heir, your father and many other intelligent and important men in Istain banded together to fight for what is best for Istain. He's a very brave man."

"Do you know what happened to my father?" Ema asked desperately.

"His position in the organization was…compromised," Lord Watabe said carefully. "And it was discovered that he had information that one of the princes desired. He's been hurt badly, but he is alive. _You_ have the power to save him, Lady Ema."

"I have the power to save him?" Ema echoed in confusion, but at that moment the carriage rolled to a stop and Watabe didn't answer her.

"We're here," he said, moving the curtain to peer out the window. "This is my family's mansion. Your father is inside."

Ema leapt out of the carriage, not waiting for either of the men to help her down. It was so dark outside that Ema could barely see the way to the estate, but a servant soon came outside holding a torch. Ema followed the small light, Natsu and Watabe behind her.

Lord Watabe led Ema into a darkened sitting room with a few candles lit to provide meager light. An older woman dressed as a maid had been sitting in a chair, but stood as they entered.

"Well?" Lord Watabe said in a harder voice than Ema had heard him use. "You were nursemaid to Queen Mai and said you could verify whether this is the woman we're looking for."

Ema looked at Watabe in confusion, but his focus was on the other woman. "What's going on?" Ema asked uncertainly. "Where's my father?"

Silently, the woman came up to Ema. "Who are you?" Ema asked, taking a step back. "What do you want?"

She turned to look at Natsu for answers, but he grabbed her arms and held her still as the old woman moved Ema's hair away from her neck. The woman gasped and Ema flinched. "It must be her!" The old woman exclaimed. "Queen Mai's child was born with a birthmark in the shape of a heart on the back of her neck, and this child has the same mark."

"What in the world is going on here?" Ema demanded, wrenching her arms away from Natsu and backing towards the wall. "Why are you talking about Queen Mai and her child? What does that have to do with me?"

"It has _everything_ to do with you, Ema," a silky voice said as a man stepped out of the shadows and into the light of the candles. Ema's eyes widened at the sight of one of the princes of Istain.

"Lady Ema," Natsu said formally, "allow me to introduce you to Prince Maru, the younger of the twin princes." A small smile played at the corners of his mouth. "I told you my family supported the younger of the princes."

Ema felt sick as she looked between the amused look on Natsu's face, the cold look on Watabe's, and the pleased look on Maru.

" _You_ , Lady Ema, are the daughter of the dear departed Queen Mai," Maru said. "Which, by blood, makes you the true heir to the throne. You are going to marry me and then _I_ will be the rightful king of Istain. I will not have my birthright denied me by my arrogant brother. Having you ensures that Istain will be mine."

Ema shook her head. "You're all insane. Lord Natsu told me about the rumor that Queen Mai's child had survived, but how could you possibly think it's me?"

"Oh, it's not just a rumor, I promise you that," Maru said with calm assurance. "We verified the story with the very man who took you from the castle the night your mother died and just now with the nursemaid who delivered you. You _are_ the daughter of Queen Mai. You never knew your mother correct? And I assume your so-called father always seemed uncomfortable when you asked about her. Have you ever seen any portraits of her? Or met any of her family?"

"My mother's family hated my father," Ema answered automatically, repeating the story her father told her. "He and my mother had to marry in secret because her family didn't approve." Maru gave Ema a patronizing smile and Ema flushed in anger. "Besides, even if I was Queen Mai's daughter, that would make us cousins."

Maru shrugged, clearly unconcerned. "Don't worry, my intended," Maru said in a mocking tone. "We're only half-cousins. Our grandfather had two wives. My father was the son of his second wife while your mother was the daughter of his first wife, hence why she inherited the throne."

Ema shook her head again, desperately wishing she was not in a room full of crazy people. How had this all happened so quickly? Just that afternoon she'd told Masaomi that she would make Koukidan her new home, and now it appeared she was going to be held against her will in Istain…how she desperately wished she was with Masoami right now. Or that she'd at least been smart enough to tell someone where she was going.

"I won't marry you," she said firmly, looking Maru dead in the eye. "I won't do it."

Maru's mocking smile grew. "If you don't, than the man who cared for you as a father will die."

"What?" Ema whispered. Maru snapped his fingers and a moment later, Rintaro was dragged in by two men. There were purple bruises on his face and one eye was swollen shut. Despite the dim lighting, Ema also noticed dried blood on his clothes.

"Father!" Ema exclaimed, running forward, but Natsu grabbed her and pulled her back, holding her tight.

"Incidentally," Maru said in a conversational tone, "Lord Rintaro is also the man who took you from the palace the night Queen Mai died. He took you, sheltered you, raised you. Would you really be so cruel as to turn your back on him now?"

"Father?" Ema asked uncertainly. "Do you…know what they're talking about?"

Rintaro hung his head, unable to look Ema in the eye. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I wanted to tell you, but you were so much safer not knowing. I…" He raised his head to look at Ema with his one good eye. "I have always loved you as my own daughter, Ema. I wanted to protect you from all this." He hung his head again and candlelight glittered off his falling tears. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you from this."

Ema wasn't sure what shocked her the most. That Rintaro wasn't really her father and had lied to her all her life, that Queen Mai was her mother, or that she'd either have to marry her cousin or watch the man who raised her be killed.

"Well?" Maru asked, raising his eyebrows. "What's your decision? We're all waiting on pins and needles, Lady Ema."

~.~

Two days later, Lesa stood in Ema's rooms with hands on hips, surveying the room with a frown. The bed had not been slept in, and even though Ema had not appeared at mealtimes, she hadn't requested food to be brought to her rooms. Something odd was going on here.

Lesa went to another room to change styles and become Hikaru again. He checked on one more thing before going straight to a private meeting between Masaomi and Ukyo.

"Do you mind?" Ukyo said, glaring at Hikaru in irritation. "I would more expect Kaname to barge into a meeting than you, Hikaru."

"Lady Ema was not seen by anyone yesterday, despite the fact that she had plans with both Wataru and Iori, and her bed was not slept in last night," Hikaru announced.

"What?" Masaomi asked, his face going pale. "Are you sure, Hikaru?"

Ukyo looked alarmed. "You don't think she would have gone back to Istain by herself to check on her father's people, do you? She would have at least told one of us, right?"

Masaomi looked uncertain. "Lady Ema told me that she was going to make Koukidan her home, that she wanted to stay her and make a new life for herself. I don't think she would have left for Istain right after that."

"There's more," Hikaru said. "The last time anyone saw Lady Ema she was with Lord Natsu and it appears that Lord Natsu Oniguno has not been seen at the palace since then."

"What does Lord Oniguno's son have to do with anything?" Masaomi asked in confusion.

Ukyo clasped his hands together and stared at them as he spoke. "Lord Natsu is half-Istainian and his mother's family fervently supports the younger of the twin princes for the throne. Hikaru has seen Lord Natsu trying to get close to Lady Ema on more than one occasion, ostensibly because of her father's high position and his close ties to Koukidan." Ukyo's brow furrowed. "But with Ambassador Rintaro dead, what reason could Lord Natsu possibly have to take Lady Ema?"

"I can think of one man who might be able to answer that question," Hikaru said, his eyes cold as he crossed his arms. Masaomi felt a chill go up his back at the look on his younger brother's face.

~.~

Lord Onigunu was taking tea on his terrace when he saw a carriage with the royal crest roll up to his estate. He straightened in his seat as Prince Iori, Prince Tsubaki, Prince Azusa, and Prince Hikaru stepped out of the carriage. He rose from his seat as they approached the terrace, bowing to them.

"Welcome to my estate, Your Highnesses. This is a most unexpected honor. May I ask what brings you all here so early in the morning?" His eyes flickered nervously between the four. He'd had some of the princes to his estate before, of course. Any noble of important standing had, but this seemed like a lot of princes, and an add combination at that, to suddenly appear.

"Now, Lord Oniguno," Tsubaki chastised, an odd smile on his face, "is that any way to greet four princes of your country?"

"Yes, you're right of course, Prince Tsubaki. Please forgive my oversight." He rang a bell and a servant came outside. "Bring more tea for our guests." The servant's eyes widened at the sight of the princes before he bowed and went back inside. "Please, have a seat," Lord Oniguno said, gesturing to the table.

The four of them sat and Lord Oniguno cautiously took his seat as well. Iori gazed about as though looking for something. "Is your son here, Lord Oniguno?" He asked.

Lord Oniguno felt a bead of sweat begin to form on his forehead. Why were the princes looking for Natsu? "No, I'm afraid not, Prince Iori. He's visiting his cousin in Istain."

"Oh?" Tsubaki asked, his eyebrows rising in interest. "How long has he been gone for?"

"Just a few days," Lord Oniguno said airily, trying not to fidget.

"Did he bring anyone with him?" Azusa asked politely.

Dread crept into Lord Oniguno's heart. "Uh, no. He's brought friends with him to Istain in the past, but with all the unrest going on, he thought it best to go alone."

"And you just let him walk into a warzone?" Tsubaki asked in a mocking tone.

The servant coming out with more tea at that moment gave Lord Oniguno some time to think. When the servant left he said, "My wife's family lives in a safer area of Istain. No fighting has broken out there, thankfully." He gave the princes what he hoped looked like a grateful smile before taking a sip of tea. He noticed that his hand shook slightly and took care not to clatter his cup on its plate when he set it down.

"Are you absolutely certain your son left Koukidan by himself?" Hikaru asked with a friendly smile. "Because, coincidentally another occupant from the palace went missing about the same time Lord Natsu disappeared."

Lord Oniguno pasted a confused and concerned look on his face. "I assure you, Prince Hikaru, the timing _is_ coincidental." He forced a small laugh. "Surely you're not insinuating that my son would kidnap someone and force them to go Istain with him, are you? What reason could he possibly have for doing that?"

"We're not quite sure of that ourselves, Lord Oniguno," Tsubaki said. "We were hoping you might be able to enlighten us on that subject."

"I-I…surely not," Lord Oniguno said in an offended tone. "I don't know why you've come here so early in the morning to throw wild accusations at my son while he's not here to defend himself, but I assure you that me and my family have never given the royal family anything but our loyalty and most certainly don't deserve this sort of treatment."

"You're looking for a husband for you daughter, aren't you, Lord Oniguno?" Iori asked suddenly.

"W-what?" Lord Oniguno asked, confused about the sudden switch in topics. "I-I suppose so…she's of marriageable age and a lovely young woman. Every good father in my position would be searching for a suitable husband for their daughter."

Iori nodded in agreement. "You're right on all accounts, of course, but I wonder what chances your daughter would have of making a suitable match if I asked all my acquaintances to no longer associate with her. My social network spreads quite far."

Lord Oniguno's face paled as his blood ran cold. "W-why would you do that? Has my daughter offended you in some way, Prince Iori?" He well knew how highly the aristocracy thought of Iori, and also knew that every noble with a young eligible daughter hoped for a match between Iori and their daughter. The nobility would be only too happy to turn on his daughter if they thought it increased their daughters' chances.

Instead of Iori answering him, Tsubaki turned to Azusa and said, "We've sure had a lot of nobles trying to curry favor with us lately, haven't we?"

Azusa nodded thoughtfully. "Since we've only just decided to become involved in politics, it seems many nobles assume we don't have opinions or knowledge about many issues and feel we might be easily swayed to their side. We've had all kinds of Lords and Dukes speaking to us recently."

"What do you think our new friends would do if we asked them to avoid Lord Oniguno because he'd upset us?" Tsubaki asked Azusa.

"I think they'd be more than happy to oblige us," Azusa said, speaking as though they were talking about going for a walk rather than ruining the lives and reputation of the Oniguno family. "Of course, it'd be quite the hardship for Lord Oniguno and his family if no other Lord was willing to associate with him. Word spreads quickly within the courts."

Lord Oniguno's eyes widened in panic as he looked between the twins, though never of them looked at him. They could have been having a private conversation in their room for all the attention they gave him.

"Speaking of politics," Hikaru began, tapping his chin and looking thoughtfully up at the sky. Lord Oniguno felt an ominous sense of foreboding. "It's well known that your wife's family supports Prince Maru to be the next king of Istain and there's significant evidence that you and your son support him as well." Hikaru looked at Lord Oniguno and tilted his head, still looking thoughtful. "Doesn't supporting the ruler of another country strike you as a bit…treasonous?"

Now Lord Oniguno felt like he was going to be sick. "I only support Prince Maru because I wish to stay on good terms with my wife's family," he rushed to say. "I also believe he would be a better ruler than his brother, and a more stable Istain is a better thing for Koukidan, yes? Koukdian and Istain have long been trade allies and my uppermost thoughts are always for the good of Koukidan. With the civil war going on, trade between our two countries has halted." Inwardly, Lord Oniguno cursed his son. Natsu had told him that he was taking a woman who might help Prince Maru's chances of becoming king. Natsu hadn't said a word about this woman being important to the royal family, but obviously she was if her disappearance brought _four_ of the princes to his doorstep threatening him and his family.

Hikaru's eyes became cold. "You have one more chance to answer the question of whether or not your son took someone with him to Istain, Lord Oniguno. I strongly suggest you think your answer over carefully."

Lord Oniguno felt sweat drip down his face. His daughter an outcast with no probable likelihood of a suitable marriage. _Him_ an outcast and unable to do business or worse, thrown in prison for treason. He had no idea what the princes would do to his son…but it was either his son or the rest of the Oniguno family. "I don't know why he took her," he said shaking his head. "And I don't know who it was that he took. All is I know is that he took a young woman because he thought her presence would increase Prince Maru's chances of becoming king."

The princes looked at each other like this confirmed what they already believed. Iori finished his tea and they all stood up. Iori gave him a nod. "Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Oniguno."

"Natsu is just a young man!" He called desperately after the princes' retreating backs. "A fool, perhaps, but he's young and reckless. He's just trying to do what he feels is best for his mother's country." The princes did not respond.

~.~

"So now we know that Lord Natsu _did_ take Lady Ema," Azusa said once the four of them were in the carriage. "But we still don't know _why._ We all thought that Lady Ema was in danger because of who her father was, but with Ambassador Rintaro dead, what interest could the twin princes have in her now?"


	18. Politics

**A/N:** To the reader who thinks my chapter numbering is off, the first post is a prologue and not chapter 1, which makes my chapter numbering one off of 's

 **Chapter 17: Politics**

"An Istainian noble walked inside _our_ walls," Ukyo said to the assembled aristocracy. "He came inside Koukidan Palace and kidnapped the Queen's own honored guest. This is a slap to all of Koukidan, for an Istainian noble to think so little of us as to come here and take someone from the palace. This is not a challenge that can go unanswered."

"You make an excellent point about the audacity of the Istainian noble," Duke Rukan said, rubbing his beard. "But I'm not so sure that _drastic_ action is required in this situation. After all, it was only another Istainian noble that they took, was it not? Whoever did it must be reprimanded, but it is not as though they harmed any citizens of Koukidan."

Duke Rukan spoke in a placating tone and anger burned through Ukyo at his words. Every Koukidan noble should be up in arms over Istain _daring_ to think they could get away with such a slight against Koukidan in their very capital, but Ukyo knew _exactly_ why the nobles were not supporting harsh measures against Istain, not supporting the princes' plan to have the kidnaped victim retrieved. It was because it was Ema. Too many of these nobles had daughters and too many of them hoped for a marriage between their daughters and one of the princes. They did not at all like how close Ema appeared to be with the royal family. They were jealous and were willing to let an insult that could be considered an act of aggression slide because of their jealousy.

As Ukyo struggled to form his response, another one of his brothers spoke up. To his surprise, it was Kaname. "Duke Rukan," Kaname said in a lazy voice, "I assure you, whether Lady Ema is rescued or not, _none_ of my brothers nor I will marry your either of your daughters. Letting an innocent woman be harmed will _not_ bring you and your family any closer to the royal family or the throne."

Duke Rukan's face flushed red and another noble spoke up. "But the issue at hand is that though the Istainian acted rashly and inappropriately, this is an Istainian matter. Both people involved were Istainian nobles. Why should Koukidan get involved in Istain's conflict over such a small matter?"

"You call a nobleman from another country committing a crime in _our_ palace a small matter?" Fuuto asked in an arrogant voice, looking down on the nobleman. He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes slightly. "I didn't realize you had such a low opinion of the royal family. Or maybe the problem is that you are _more_ concerned with the conflict in Istain than you are with the honor of your own royal family. Could it be that you are friends with the Lord responsible for this kidnapping?"

The Lord paled and shook his head. "I-I did not mean that at all, Prince Fuuto. I agree that the honor of the Koukidan royal family has been besmirched. I only meant that perhaps that was not the _intent_ of the kidnapper. I imagine he was focused solely on his country's problems and foolishly did not consider the possible implications of his actions. I do not feel that Koukidan should feel the need to defend someone who is not a citizen of Koukidan."

"Not a citizen of Koukidan?" Masaomi asked, standing up. He commanded the surprised attention of all the noblemen in the room. They weren't used to Masaomi speaking up much in important meetings. He usually left all the talking to Ukyo. "Week after week Lady Ema has spent time among the villages helping _citizens_ of Koukidan and caring for them as though they were her own people. She has worked diligently to procure food, medicine, and aid for _your_ people. What have you done for them other than stand above them making laws, ordinances, and alliances for _your_ benefit? What right do you have to call yourselves citizens of Koukidan and not her?"

Silence. Finally, someone asked, "What is Queen Miwa's opinion on the matter?"

"Our mother is away at the moment," Ukyo said. "She had business to attend to in Losa and is unaware of the kidnapping of her honored guest. Though I'm sure your blatant unconcern about someone dear to her would not thrill her." Honestly, Ukyo wasn't sure what action his mother would take. He knew she'd be worried about Ema and furious that anyone would dare to take someone under her care, but it was true that Ema wasn't one of Koukidan's subjects. Would Miwa risk conflict with Istain for the sake of one girl who had no Koukidan blood?

A ripple went through the crowd and nobles looked at each other warily. Finally, Lord Satsu came to stand at the front of the assembled nobles, looking nervous, but firm. "We believe that the presence of the Istainian woman has clouded the judgement of more than one member of the royal family," he said boldly. "I am not alone in believing that the princes' desire to rescue the girl has more to do with your feelings for her than to avenge a slight against Koukidan. We the nobility do _not_ support any action being taken against Istain. This is our final answer."

~.~

"Those miserable old men," Tsubaki hissed as the brothers gathered afterward. "I'm sure _their_ judgement is completely based on them feeling like we've paid less attention to their sycophant, money-grubbing daughters. As though any of us ever had a serious interest in the women at court. They're all the same."

"While I believe you are right, Tsubaki," Azusa said, "the nobility also have a point. Risking conflict with Istain where Koukidan citizens may die _is_ a big step to take and our opinion isn't exactly unbiased in this case."

"Are you saying you don't care what happens to Ema?" Tsubaki burst out angrily. "I'm telling you now that _I_ don't care what those worthless old men say. _I'm_ going for Ema regardless."

"That's not what I said, Tsubaki," Azusa responded harshly, then softened his voice. "I could never live with myself if I left Ema in the hands of someone who wishes her harm. I'm saying we need to accept that we don't have the nobility's support of our actions and move on."

"I'm going," Yusuke announced. "If you guys are going to Istain to rescue Ema, then I'm coming too." He paused and thought for a moment. "I bet that Subaru would come too."

"Natsume would probably want to know," Tsubaki said. "His province is on the way to Istain."

"I'm going as well," Masaomi said, his heart thumping at the thought of what might be happening to Ema at that very moment. He desperately wished he knew why Lord Natsu had kidnapped Ema and what danger she was in.

"You can't go," Ukyo said sternly. "Especially not with Mom gone. You are the crown prince, the heir to the throne. And with Mom away, the regent ruler of Koukidan. If anything happens to Mom while she's away, you become king."

Masaomi and Ukyo entered a stare off and Iori interrupted to say, "We need more of a plan than just deciding which of us are going to rush off to rescue Lady Ema. There will be repercussions from the nobility for ignoring them." Many of his brothers gave him dark looks. " _Unless_ ," Iori continued, "we take steps to stop that from happening. We may not have the support of the nobility, but I believe the villagers will feel very differently. The people of Koukidan love Ema and are more likely to support efforts to rescue her. While some of you gather Subaru and Natsume to go to Istain, Fuuto, Louis, and I will go among the villagers and rally their support."

"What good will that do?" Fuuto asked angrily. "The peasants have no power."

Iori gave Fuuto a calm smile. "I mean no offense when I say this, Fuuto, but I think I have a better grasp of politics than you do. Just follow my lead, all right?"

Fuuto narrowed his eyes at Iori suspiciously. "Fine," he agreed grudgingly, folding his arms.

"What about when you get to Istain?" Louis asked in concern. "How will you find out where Ema is?"

"Don't worry about that," Hikaru said, a confident look on his face. "I'm sure I'll be able to track her down."

~.~

While Yusuke offered to go get Subaru, Natsume was closer to him. Ukyo sent a runner on the palace's fastest horse to Natsume.

Natsume felt sick as he read Ukyo's letter about Ema and determined that he would help save her however he could, though he feared what the Istainians might want with her when her father was already dead.

Natsume left almost immediately to meet with Subaru.

~.~

"What are you doing here?" Subaru demanded with a glare when Natsume arrived at his camp and requested to speak with him.

"I received a letter from Ukyo that I thought you might want to read," Natsume said, holding the letter out. "It's about Lady Ema."

Subaru ripped the letter from Natsume and quickly scanned through it, his face getting paler as he read the letter. "Where is she?" He demanded of Natsume, his eyes wide with panic.

"I don't know," Natsume said with a shake of his head. "But Hikaru might."

"Hikaru?" Subaru asked, a confused look on his face.

Natsume raised his eyebrows at Subaru. "Do you really think that Hikaru only has spies in Koukidan? He's much more thorough than that."

"Right," Subaru mumbled, his eyes returning to the letter.

"I'm going with them," Natsume said in a soft, determined voice. "I'm going to Istain to get Lady Ema back. I know you don't think much of me, Subaru, but will you come back to Kishu with me to meet our brothers and help them bring Lady Ema back safely?"

"Of course I will," Subaru said. "Lady Ema is much more important than some fight between us. Let me arrange a few things and then I'll be ready."

~.~

 _Seven Days Later_

"Princess Ema," Juli said, kneeling by Ema's bed with tears in his eyes. "You don't have to do this." Ema didn't like being called princess, it felt odd to her, but Juli insisted. Apparently, he had also known all along about Ema's true heritage and felt better calling her what he considered her true title.

"Yes I do, Juli," she said with a sad smile as she sat on the bed, a sick feeling in her stomach. "If I don't they'll kill Rintaro. He may not be my biological father, but he is the man who raised me and I love him. I can't let him die, Juli."

"I think he might rather die than see you marry Prince Maru," Juli said harshly. "He didn't hide your identify from you for something like this to happen, he hid it _because_ he didn't want something like this to happen. Princess Ema, I believe I could sneak you out of here. _Please_ reconsider, I beg you. Once the marriage happens, there's nothing that can be done."

"But Juli," Ema began, taking one of his hands in her own, "how could I live knowing that I caused my father's death?"

"You would _not_ be the cause," Juli said firmly. "Prince Maru and his corrupt band of followers would be the cause. _None_ of this is your fault."

"What's going on outside the palace walls?" Ema asked Juli to change the subject. She had been moved from Lord Watabe's estate to the palace a few days ago. Prince Maru wanted the wedding to happen as soon as possible to cement his place as king. Ema was grateful that a few of her father's servants had been allowed to come to the palace to attend to her. It was comforting to at least have familiar faces around her.

"Prince Maru and his supporters sent riders abroad to announce the news that Queen Mai's heir survived and intends to marry him to bring unity back to the country. Prince Maru's older brother immediately tried to prove these claims false, but Lord Rintaro is widely respected and with his written testimony and the testimony of Queen Mai's nursemaid, his brother was declared a traitor. There was some fighting, but with news of there being a true heir, many of his supporters deserted him. He's in prison now, along with those supporters who didn't abandon him."

"And what do the people of Istain think of all this?" Ema asked in a toneless voice, her eyes staring blankly at the wall.

Juli looked up at her in concern, wishing she'd show more emotion than this rather than bottle up and hide what she really felt. He wished she'd shout and rage against Prince Maru and try to escape this fate, but he knew she would never do that. The best way to get Ema to do anything was to make her believe it was for the good of others. If marrying Prince Maru would save her father, if marrying him would unify the country and stop the fighting, Ema would gladly do it.

He stared mutinously at the floor, not wanting to answer her question. "Juli?" She prompted.

He sighed. "The people are hopeful. They've had months of fighting and unrest. All the old king's advisors have already given this marriage their blessing. The people want peace and prosperity, and their hopeful that the daughter of Queen Mai will give it to them. Queen Mai was a much better ruler than her younger brother."

Ema nodded, still staring at the wall. "That's good," Ema said, her voice still devoid of emotion, but then she looked at Juli and her voice cracked as she spoke again. "But what if I can't give it to them? Peace or prosperity? What power will I have as Prince Maru's puppet?"

Before Juli could answer, the door opened and a maid walked in carrying a long white dress piled in her arms. The dress had so much material that it covered her face. "You need to leave now," she told Juli. "I must dress the princess for her wedding."

"I'm not leaving her!" Juli said, jumping to his feet.

"You are _not_ staying for this," the maid said in an affronted tone. "That would hardly be proper. I'm sure the princess doesn't need protection from a _dress_ , sir."

"It's all right, Juli," Ema said, laying a gentle hand on his arm.

Juli looked down at her and held her hand against his arm for a moment before nodding. "Fine, but I'm waiting right outside." Holding his head high, he marched out the door.

"Now then, Princess," the maid said, walking carefully over to the bed. She set the dress down and gave Ema a devious grin. "Shall we prepare you for the wedding of a lifetime?"

Ema gasped when she saw the face of the maid. It was Lesa.


	19. Wedding

**Chapter 18: Wedding**

Ema gaped at the face of her friend, wondering how—and _why_ —Lesa could possibly be there. "Lesa," Ema gasped, "W-what are you doing here?"

"Well, you see, Lady Ema—or I guess _Princess_ Ema is the appropriate title. _That_ was a surprise to hear, even for me…" Lesa paused, looking awkward as she scratched her head. "There's something I need to tell you that you might wish I'd told you earlier, but I promise I had my reasons for keeping it a secret. You see…" When Lesa spoke next her voice deepened. "I'm actually Prince Hikaru."

Ema blinked uncomprehendingly at the maid standing in front of her. She remembered for a moment how familiar Hikaru seemed the first time she spoke to him—or what she _thought_ was the first time she spoke to him—but still found the whole thing a bit much to take in, especially considering everything else that was going on.

"Anyway," Hikaru brushed off, speaking in Lesa's voice again. "There's time for all that later. Right now we have more important things to take care of, like stopping your wedding to Prince Maru. But first, we must get you ready for the wedding."

" _What?_ " Ema asked, feeling confused beyond all hope now.

" _Your wedding_ , dear, we must get you ready. Don't worry about anything else, just leave it to us." Hikaru patted the wedding dress and gave Ema an expectant look.

"I— _us?_ Who's…? I _can't,_ Les—Prince Hikaru. I _have_ to marry Prince Maru or he'll kill my father."

"Yes, that was another surprise," Hikaru said, tapping his chin. "We kept going around in circles wondering why anyone from Istain would want to kidnap you with your father dead. We thought the only danger you were in was because of the use your father would be as the Ambassador to Koukidan. It was _quite_ the shock to find out that not only are you the true heir, but that your father had been kept alive to control you. As a side note, were you aware that Queen Miwa and Queen Mai were the dearest of friends? Istain and Koukidan were much closer in those days. I know that many citizens of both countries miss those times."

Hikaru picked up the dress and held it out to Ema. " _Anyway,_ don't worry about your father, Princess, we're also rescuing him. In fact, that's going on right now, but you have to do your part too or the plan will fall apart. The timing is _very_ important."

"Prince Hikaru," Ema said, not taking the dress. "Could you please be a little bit more specific about what's going on here?"

Hikaru sighed and let his hands drop, the wedding dress dragging on the floor. "Princess Ema, during the past year you have cemented yourself into the hearts of a great deal of people in Koukidan and none of us would have you marry a corrupt, power-hungry prince. Not if there's anything we can do to stop it. Now, you must ask yourself, do you trust my brothers and me?"

"Your brothers? They're here too?"

"Some of them," Hikaru said with a nod. "Others are still in Koukidan, fighting for you there."

Ema stared at Hikaru in stunned amazement and this time when he held the dress out to her, she took it.

~.~

Rintaro sat in the corner of his prison, wondering how it was possible for someone to feel so utterly miserable and hopeless. How had all this happened? He'd worked so hard all of Ema's life to protect her only for it to come to nothing in the end. What must she be thinking right now? Could she ever forgive him for this? For the terrible life that would surely follow being forced to marry someone like Maru?

He heard a shout and a scuffle somewhere else in the prison and the sound of something heavy falling to the floor. He automatically turned that way, but didn't really care what was happening, and the light in the dungeon was too dim for him to see anything anyway.

He felt a bitter taste in his mouth as two guards approached his cell. Prince Maru had already told him that Rintaro would have the privilege of witnessing the "joyous occasion" of his daughter's wedding. The thought made him sick, but at least Ema wouldn't be all alone that way.

He glared up at the guards, one with dark hair and the other with orange hair, as they opened his prison door. Then he caught a better look at the guards and his eyes widened in shock. "Lord Natsume?! Prince Subaru?!"

~.~

Ema felt her heart thumping furiously as she stepped into the throne room, where the wedding was taking place. A few of Prince Maru's closest supporters among the nobility were there, including Lord Natsu and Lord Watabe.

Someone played a harp as Ema, trembling, walked down the aisle. She wished she knew what the Koukidan princes' plans were, but she _did_ trust them. She felt incredibly happy that they had come all the way to Istain for her, but also terrified that someone was going to get hurt.

Off to the side, Ema could see her father standing between two guards, dressed in armor. His face was still obviously bruised and cut, though he'd been dressed in royal finery for the occasion. Ema's heart hurt at the sight until she realized _who_ stood beside her father. Her eyes widened and she quickly looked away, hoping she hadn't drawn attention to them.

She kept her eyes trained straight ahead, not really seeing what was in front of her as she walked forward to the alter placed in front of the throne. She was afraid she might see someone else she recognized and give them away.

Ema reached the alter and stood there, her eyes on the ground. She didn't want to see the look of triumph on Maru's face, however short lived that triumph may be. Assuming, of course, that everything went according to Hikaru's plan. Ema felt sick that it might not and that the Koukidan princes as well as others would be hurt on her account. She couldn't stand the thought of that happening.

Maru cleared his throat and the chaplain began speaking. "Weddings are meant to be joyous occasions. A time when family, friends, and well-wishers gather to support the union between husband and wife."

Ema's eye's jumped to the chaplain as she heard his voice. _Masaomi._ She hadn't paid any attention to the man dressed in robes standing behind the alter, but it was clearly Masaomi. What was he doing here? Surely the crown prince shouldn't place himself in such danger. What would Koukidan do if anything happened to him?

"Today," Masaomi continued, "friends, family, and well-wishers _are_ gathered. Not to support a wedding, but to correct a great wrong."

Maru's head whipped around to stare at Masaomi, a suspicious and warning look on his face.

"Before you all stands one you long thought dead, the daughter of Queen Mai, and the true heir to the throne. Before you also stands the son of a tyrant, who would seek to continue his father's legacy." For the first time, Ema saw Masaomi's eyes turn dark and frightening. "But all of you already knew this. You do not seek to have the true heir placed on the throne, you seek to have the man who will reward you for your aid in his underhanded scheming on the throne."

Murmurs broke out in the crowd.

A moment later, the doors to the throne room burst open. "Isn't this the part where you're supposed to ask if anyone objects to the marriage?" Tsubaki asked, strolling in with Azusa beside him, both dressed like the royal princes they were. "I think I know of a few who do."

Maru looked panicked and lunged for Ema, but Masaomi grabbed her and pulled her out of Maru's reach at the same time that someone hiding in the curtains by the throne leapt out. Yusuke stood between Maru and Ema, a sword in his hands.

There were sounds of furious scuffling in the room, but Ema couldn't see what was happening beyond Masaomi's shoulder. "M-Masaomi," Ema stuttered. "You shouldn't be here."

"There's nowhere else I could possibly be but at your side when you're in danger, Ema," Masaomi said, staring down at her and gripping her shoulders. "I love you. I love everything about you."

Ema gaped at him, then blushed and came to her senses. "I-I don't think now's the best time for—" She broke off. How could she possibly speak her feelings right now? Then again, how could she not? "You're the best man I've ever met, Masa," Ema confessed. "I've never felt about anyone the way I do about you."

The scuffling died down and Masaomi and Ema looked to see that Yusuke had Maru cornered against a wall at sword point. The nobility, in various stages of trying to get to the prince or out of the throne room, had all frozen.

"What is going on here?" Maru demanded. "Who are you and by what authority do you dare interfere with my wedding? My army is waiting outside the palace and will cut off your heads! I think I'll hang them on the palace gates. A wonderful wedding gift for my _bride,_ don't you think?"

The next man to walk into the throne room seemed to take the wind out of Maru. "You—you're supposed to be in prison!" Maru exclaimed. "How did you get out?"

Ema recognized the man. Her father had him over for dinner more than once. It was Commander Rao, the leader of Istain's army. "Indeed I was in prison," he said, casting a nasty glance at Lord Watabe. "Put away for the _treasonous_ action of supporting the true heir to the throne. Except, when my jailers found out the real reason Lord Watabe had me locked away, they no longer seemed to think I should be imprisoned. You really should have made sure they were loyal to you and not Istain before placing me in their care."

"I _am_ Istain!" Maru burst out. He turned to give a vicious look to Rintaro. "Guards, kill Lord Rintaro!"

Commander Rao smiled widely. "You fool of a prince. Do you really think we've accomplished interrupting your wedding all on our own? No, our princess, brilliant woman that she is, has very powerful allies. If you spent more time paying attention to your duties as prince and less time satisfying your vices, you'd already have realized that."

Maru flushed and drew himself up to his full height. "You're bluffing. Your army is not enough to defeat mine. I don't know how you got past my men, but I don't hear any sounds of fighting. I don't believe you have any forces here other than the paltry group of men in this room."

"I imagine you don't hear fighting because your army is both outnumbered and outmatched," Subaru said, stepping away from Lord Rintaro, his sword already unsheathed. He must have taken it out earlier when the nobility got up from their seats. "Your supporters pretending to be fighters don't compare to my knights."

"Or to the protective forces of Kishu Province," Natsume added. He gave Ema a small smile. "It's never a bad idea to start off ingratiating yourself with the new ruler of a country." Ema returned his smile.

Maru, on the other hand, looked as confused and flustered as ever. "You still haven't said by what right you have to interfere here," he bit out.

Tsubaki pinched the bridge of his nose, a look of long-suffering on his face. "Honestly, you're worse than we ever were." He held his arms out to the side as the nobility and Maru gazed at him. In a theatrical voice he said, "Behold the glory of the Princes of Koukidan. Myself, the vivacious Prince Tsubaki, my handsome twin, Prince Azusa. The fierce leader of the knights of Koukidan, Prince Subaru." Tsubaki gestured at each of his brothers as he introduced them. "The reclusive yet talented Prince Natsume. The dedicated and very handy-with-a-sword Prince Yusuke. Our dear crown prince, Masaomi. And last, but certainly not least, the terrifying Prince Hikaru." Hikaru, now dressed as a prince, gave a friendly wave from where he stood by the front row.

The room was encased in silence as Maru's face went white. "You-you don't have any authority to interfere here," he said. "This isn't your country. Are-are you trying to start a war?"

"No right to interfere?" Hikaru asked, raising his eyebrows. "And what would we have been doing if we had answered your or your brother's pathetic pleas for our support and aid? Aside from that, as Commander Rao already stated, we are allies of the _true_ heir to the throne. Aren't you all so lucky to have a ruler with such powerful allies?"

Lord Watabe stepped out of the row he was in to stand in the aisle, almost as ashen-faced as his prince. "Princess Ema cannot rule on her own. Her guardian, Lord Rintaro himself, admitted that she was not raised to rule. Istain needs a strong hand to rebuild after the civil war. Princess Ema is not that strong hand."

"What would you know of it?" Tsubaki demanded. "We've seen her abilities far more than you, and I assure you, Princess Ema is far more capable than an idiot prince who can't even recognize the princes of his far more powerful neighbor."

"Lord Watabe is right," another man said, standing up. "Koukidan cannot dictate what is best for Istain. Princess Ema may be the true heir, but without the experience that Prince Maru has—"

"If I am not mistaken," Hikaru interrupted, turning to look at Masaomi and Ema. "The two heirs of our dear countries are very much in love and have been for a while now. I'd say that a dual monarchy between Istain and Koukidan would make Istain far stronger and do much more to help with rebuilding the country than putting Prince Maru on the throne."

Ema blushed and looked at Masaomi, who was also red in the face. He took her hand and quietly asked so that no one else could hear, "Ema, will you marry me?"

Ema gave him a brilliant smile and nodded. A look of relief and happiness crossed his face before it set into a determined look as he gazed out across the crowd. "Princess Ema and I are engaged. _That_ is what gives Koukidan the right to interfere in Istain. Especially when a corrupt prince has her kidnapped directly from Koukidan Palace." Ema thought that Masaomi had never looked more king-like than in that moment.

None of the nobility looked like they wanted to object now. The prospect of a dual monarchy between Istain and Koukidan was far more enticing than having Prince Maru as king. Even those who were promised great rewards of power from Maru realized that it was a lost cause. The people of Istain would never support Maru over Masaomi.

Hikaru gave Ema a significant look and Ema straightened, stepping away from Masaomi. "Commander Rao, I believe we have use of some of your forces in here. Prince Maru as well as Lords Natsu and Watabe have conspired against the throne of Istain."

Commander Rao smiled as he gave a deep bow. "It would be my pleasure, my Queen."

 **A/N:** With the climax finished, there's only one chapter left.


	20. Aftermath

**Chapter 19: Aftermath**

"How dare you princes so blatantly ignore the wishes of the aristocracy!" Duke Rukan roared. "Half, _half_ , of you just picked up and left for some girl who doesn't even belong to Koukidan! They've been gone for a _week._ Do they care nothing for their own country? Or have they perished in their fool-hardy and reckless visit to a warring country?"

Ukyo kept his sigh internal as he and Kaname faced a crowd of _very_ irate nobility. He also cursed Masaomi for leaving him in this position. After Ukyo told Masaomi that he was absolutely not allowed to leave, Masaomi appointed Ukyo as regent ruler, pointing out that the nobility were always saying Ukyo would make a better king anyway. Then he left.

"Action must be taken," Lord Satsu said viciously. "We will not stand for this blatant disrespect."

Ukyo was starting to feel a bit anxious about the dark look on the nobility's faces when Iori entered the large meeting hall. To Ukyo's relief, Iori looked calm and satisfied. He moved to stand next to Kaname and Ukyo.

"I'm afraid that your feelings of insult have no grounds on which to stand," Iori informed the irate crowd calmly.

"Truly?" Duke Rukan asked, narrowing his eyes. "Are you insinuating, Prince Iori, that you and your brothers did _not_ ignore and override the general will of the nobility of Koukidan? Or are you under the impression that it is only the opinion of royalty that matters?"

"Not at all, Duke," Iori said, still calm. "I'm saying that Koukidan and all its people are as important to my brothers and me as ever. This country is under our charge and we take the care of _all_ its citizens very seriously. As such, we would never be so irresponsible as to put our own wishes and desires above that of the general will of others."

Harsh whispers flowed through the crowd of nobility as lords and ladies, dukes and duchesses, gave each other shocked and disbelieving looks. "The Princes of Koukidan have _clearly_ done exactly that," Lord Satsu said, sounding affronted and looking suspicious. "Do you take us for fools? Or have you been biding your time coming up with some paltry excuse for your absent brothers?"

Iori shook his head, his calm expression never wavering. "If all of you would be so kind as to follow me, I believe you will understand." Without another word, Iori turned and left. Ukyo and Kaname exchanged a glance before following their younger brother and, slowly, the crowd of nobles followed along, their angry rumbles getting louder.

Though Ukyo had great faith in Iori, he felt some trepidation as they walked through the halls of the palace, wondering what Iori planned to show them all. Iori had not divulged his plan to Ukyo or Kaname before he left with Louis and Fuuto the same day the rest of their brothers left for Istain. He merely told Ukyo to keep the nobles at bay for as long as he could. If the nobility weren't satisfied with whatever scheme Iori had come up with, they might have a riot on their hands. Or a coup.

If only at least Masaomi had stayed, things might be a little better. The nobility seemed to take the disappearance of the heir to the throne as a personal insult, and a testament to how little the Princes of Koukidan respected the nobility.

Iori led them straight to the front doors of the palace and threw them open, striding confidently outside. Ukyo followed, but paused in shock on the doors of the palace. A crowd of hundreds, maybe thousands of peasants stood before them, completely obscuring the lawn and gardens. Ukyo idly thought that the palace gardeners were going to be furious.

"W-what is this?" Lord Rukan gasped, his face paling as he beheld the crowd. His eyes jumped to Iori who had joined Louis and Fuuto standing a few yards from the front of the crowd.

"Isn't it obvious?" Fuuto asked, holding his arms out to gesture at the crowd behind him. "This is the Princes of Koukidan fulfilling the will of Koukidan."

"I don't understand," Lord Satsu said, looking warily between the princes and the peasants.

"I think the answer should be obvious," Louis said, an airy smile on his face. "The people of Koukidan love Lady Ema. She's precious to them and they want her back. After all she's done for them, they consider her to be of Koukidan."

"So as you can see," Fuuto said, an insolent smile on his face, "we _aren't_ ignoring the general will of Koukidan at all. Unless of course, you think that _your_ opinions matter more than the people you serve."

Duke Rukan and Lord Satsu both had puckered looks on their faces, like they'd just swallowed lemons. Ukyo worked hard to keep his smile hidden. Brilliant. Iori's plan was brilliant. After all the time Ema had spent among the villagers they loved and respected her. Ukyo had seen that for himself. As much as the nobility may hate it, they couldn't contradict the general will of so many peasants. There were simply too many for them to even hope to fight against or punish.

"So," Iori said, leveling a piercing look at the crowd of nobles. "Since the actions of my brothers have the support of our people, will you support them as well?"

Looks of begrudging and furious acceptance spread across the faces of the nobility, but none dared say a word of criticism against the princes or Ema now.

~.~

"You _ousted_ half the nobility?" Ema asked Masaomi in shock. It was two months since Masaomi and his brothers had rescued Ema. She'd spent the time being crowned as Queen of Istain and trying to calm the chaos caused by the civil war with the help of Commander Rao, Rintaro, and others. Today she was back in Koukidan, where she'd arrived late the night before. She and Masaomi were sat in a sitting room while they took tea and talked. She had unfinished business here that would be carried out at the end of the week.

Masaomi nodded, looking pleased. "Most of my brothers have helped out with the whole affair. When the villagers supported us saving you and the nobility had to back down from arguing against it, my brothers realized the power that peasants can have. They decided that our country would benefit from the peasants having a larger say in government. Iori and Ukyo have been traveling around the country to setup councils in each village that will work with nearby noble families to run their town. Natsume plans to act as advisor to any of the councils who request his help and Subaru and his men are helping to keep everyone calm. These changes are pretty big and have brought up a little unrest in some areas."

Ema's eyes were huge as she stared at Masaomi. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Giving the peasants more power and decreasing the power of the nobles as well as their numbers…it sounded like a miracle. "What about the aristocracy who had their noble titles taken from them?" She asked. "How are they handling all this?" She doubted any of them accepted this willingly.

Masaomi winced. "They were upset, of course, but I guess things got pretty bad here after we left. Iori says that the nobles were on the verge of a coup, so Hikaru threatened to throw them all in prison for attempting treason. He told them they could accept no longer being nobles and adjust to being simply wealthy citizens, or they could spend the rest of their lives locked up with their children sold to apprenticeships and their assets seized by the crown. They opted not to argue with him."

Ema nodded sagely. She wouldn't dare cross Hikaru either. "I can't believe you and your brothers were able to do all that. That's amazing!"

Masaomi merely smiled at Ema. All of it was because of her. The changes in his brothers that led to them caring and wanting to make Koukidan better. The villagers gathering together and being one in purpose. None of these changes would have taken place without Ema, but he knew that if he told her that, she'd blush and brush his words aside. Ema seemed unable to realize her effect on other people and too humble to accept any credit.

"Maybe I should talk to your brothers about how I should sort things out in Istain. There's still the question of how to handle the nobles who supported the twin Princes and joined their armies. Some of them immediately gave me their support when it came out that I'm Queen Mai's daughter, but some are against me and still support the princes." She gave a rueful smile. "Commander Rao and Lord Kai think all those nobles should be forced into service helping to repair the towns that their forces destroyed or damaged."

"I know there's still a lot of work to be done in Istain and a lot of things for you to sort out," Masaomi said, concern etched on his face as he reached out to take Ema's hand. "I would understand if you wanted to postpone—"

"No," Ema said immediately, clasping Masaomi's hands between her own. She gave him a fierce, determined look. "I want this more than anything." She smiled as she squeezed his hand. "Aside from this being the best decision for the two of us, I also believe it's what's best for our countries. It seems to be a decision that the majority of our citizens support. When the nobles of Istain found out, almost all the twin princes' old supporters fled to my side. If that's not a sign that we should do this now, I don't know what is."

Masaomi nodded, smiling as he drew Ema closer to him. "The merchants of Koukidan are thrilled. They're already lining up at the border of Istain and nothing's even been signed yet." He bent down to kiss Ema's forehead. "If you have no doubts then we'll carry on with everything as scheduled. I know that I have none."

"I have none at all," Ema said, taking Masaomi's face between her hands and kissing him.

~.~

Rintaro nervously straightened his waistcoat as he looked at himself in a mirror. "This just all feels very sudden and rushed to me," he said. Despite all his fussing in front of the mirror, he wasn't really paying attention to the sight in front of him.

"It will be fine, Lord Rintaro," Miwa said in a fondly exasperated tone. "You always worry too much. Just relax." She came up behind Rintaro to place her hands on his shoulders. He jumped at the contact and his eyes met hers in the mirror. She smiled at him. "Ema and Masaomi aren't children. They may not have all the answers to life, but they know what they're doing."

"I-I suppose," Rintaro said, not looking convinced at all. "But Ema is still so young. And she just found out she's the heir to Istain two months ago and only took the throne a week after that—She's had a very busy two months."

"Trust me, things have been busy here, as well. My sons took it upon themselves to reorganize nearly the entire governing system of Koukidan, but things are going well and I have no complaints." She paused a moment, her gaze going distant. "It's nice to finally see them all taking such an interest in the well-being of their people and country." She met Rintaro's eyes in the mirror again. "It's all because of your daughter that this happened. That's why I know things are going to be okay. Ema has a lot to learn as Queen, but I have no doubt she'll be great. And she'll have me and my sons to ask for help."

Rintaro turned to give Miwa a grateful smile. "Thank you for being so willing to aid Ema, Queen Miwa. She respects you a lot and I know it means a great deal to her and to me." A concerned look crossed his face. "But are you sure you'll have the time to help her? We don't want to inconvenience you and I'm sure you'll still have a lot to—"

"Stop worrying so much, Rintaro," Miwa chastised again, patting him on the cheek. "In an hour the crown will pass from me to Masaomi. It's time my sons took over the ruling of this country. I'll still be around if they need me, but I'll have much more free time to help Ema as well."

She gave Rintaro a suggestive smile as she placed a hand on his chest. "I'll also have time to pursue _other_ interests I've been neglecting."

Rintaro's face burned red at the look on Miwa's face.

~.~

A rather mixed looking crowd sat in rows within a church. There were peasants, nobility, and orphans. In the very front row sat a line of princes, some with _very_ disgruntled looks on their faces.

"I can't believe she's marrying Masaomi," Tsubaki muttered, crossing his arms and sinking down in his seat. "I didn't even know they were that close."

"Just be glad we'll still be able to see her frequently," Azusa said, ignoring the jealous twinge in his chest. "We'd rarely ever see her as just the queen of Istain, but with her and Masaomi creating a joint monarchy between Koukidan and Istain, she'll be here at least half the time. A joint monarchy is the _only_ way we'd still get to see Ema without making a trip all the way to Istain."

"And I think she'll make a wonderful queen," Iori said. He would miss the time the two of them spent alone, but he couldn't imagine a better choice for queen.

"This is also a marriage that will benefit both countries," Ukyo declared. "The people of Koukidan are thrilled to have cheaper access to the dyes, herbs, and spices of Istain, while the people of Istain are glad to have closer ties to a more stable and powerful country. This marriage will solidify the Istainian's faith in Ema."

Tsubaki made a 'tch' noise. "Don't you ever think of anything other than politics?"

"Yeah, that's not the only good thing about Masa and Ema getting married!" Wataru piped up, nearly bouncing in his seat. "Ema is going to be our sister now!" He beamed at all his brothers and they couldn't help returning his smile.

"What a minute," Yusuke said, looking around the bench. The idea of having Ema as a sister rather than something more didn't thrill Yusuke, but like Azusa said, it was better than having her live so far away all the time. "Where's Hikaru?"

Ukyo's face flushed red and his smile slid away to an unhappy look. He crossed his arms and glowered rather than answer.

Kaname grinned at Ukyo's expression before explaining, "I think our dear brother is Ema's maid of honor for the wedding."

Yusuke looked horrified, though Tsubaki laughed.

"I bet he'll look beautiful," Wataru said, completely sincere, which made Tsubaki laugh harder.

Louis slipped into the bench at that moment, having been helping Ema with her hair and dress. "Hikaru does look beautiful," he told them. "But not as beautiful as our new sister."

"No fair that you already got to see her!" Tsubaki complained.

"Don't be gross, Tsubaki," Fuuto said. "What kind of a guy wants to see his sister all dressed up? Unless you're still foolishly hoping you have a chance to steal her away from Masaomi?"

Fuuto smirked as Tsubaki tried to hit him, despite the fact that Azusa and Ukyo separated the two from each other.

At the end of the bench, Natsume watched his brothers as he said, "It's kind of nice to see everyone getting along like this, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Subaru agreed, feeling awkward, but wanting to make an effort with Natsume.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Natsume said, "I'm really proud of what you've accomplished as a knight, Subaru. You're amazing and Koukidan is lucky to have you."

"Th-thanks," Subaru said, looking at Natsume in surprise. "I-I'm sorry I called you weak and cowardly. You definitely showed that you're neither of those things in Istain. I was really impressed."

This time Natsume looked surprised, though he returned Subaru's smile.

"Maybe," Subaru began awkwardly, looking at the floor rather than Natsume, "we should both come by the palace more often. It'd be nice for our family to be close again. I can barely remember when we all used to spend time together."

"Things have changed a lot around here, haven't they?" Natsume asked. "All because of Ema. I kind of wish I'd been here to see all the changes taking place. But, like you said, we _could_ be around a bit more often and find out for ourselves what will happen next."

The crowd hushed as music began playing. All the princes turned to see Ema walking down the aisle. As Kaname said, Hikaru was with her. Once at the alter, Ema and Masaomi faced each other, their faces radiant with love for one another.

Behind Ema stood Hikaru, his face beaming. He'd had a hunch these two would be the perfect match for one another. That was why when he'd found Ema lost in the village he'd taken her to the orphanage to meet Masaomi. He'd wanted Ema to see how Masaomi spent his time and planned to just let things fall in place from there. Even he couldn't have predicted all that happened next, but, he'd been right. Of course, he usually was.

 **End**

 **A/N:** Thank you very much to everyone who favorited and followed this story! And thank you for the many lovely reviews I received


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